Kevin Schindler has been part of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, for nearly three decades, serving as both Historian and Public Information Officer. In this role, he brings the observatory’s rich legacy of discovery and research to the public through his writing, lectures, and media work. His articles have appeared in numerous outlets covering everything from astronomy and spaceflight to regional history. He also contributes the bi-weekly astronomy column View from Mars Hill for the Arizona Daily Sun and has written seven books. One of these, Images of America: Northern Arizona Space Training, includes a section highlighting astronaut training in the Grand Canyon. A quirky distinction: both a fossil crab and an asteroid (Asteroid 237339 Kevin) have been named in Kevin’s honor.
Recognized for his deep knowledge of astronomy’s place in the region, Schindler was appointed as the Grand Canyon’s Astronomer in Residence. In 2024, he was appointed to the Grand Canyon as the first Alumni Astronomer in Residence in 2024. During his residency, he explored the ties between the Grand Canyon and NASA’s Apollo program, where astronauts once trained for their lunar missions. His public programs blended history with stargazing, covering topics such as astronaut geology training in the Canyon, the cultural connections of the night sky, and the interplay between classical Greco-Roman star myths and the traditional sky stories of Indigenous peoples.
