In 1954 — three years before the start of the “space race” between the U.S. and Soviet Union — the ninth university planetarium in the nation opened in Orono at the University of Maine.  It was among the first 20 in the U.S. Built by astronomy professor Maynard F. Jordan, it was a small facility read more Marking 70th anniversary, astronomy center fundraising for latest world-class equipment to explore the universe