Column: Where the rubber meets the sky

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—Turns out, one of the America's most storied telescopes runs on Firestones. Twenty-one of them, to be exact.

Vintage, of course.

In May, a Southern Tire Mart technician spent around four hours installing the 21 tires at the Lowell Observatory, a nonprofit research institution, as part of restoration of the iconic Clark Telescope at Lowell Observatory outside of Flagstaff. The tires are used to rotate the observatory dome for the 125-year-old telescope.

"We were honored to work with Lowell Observatory on this very special project. They are such an important part of this community and contribute so much to education and science," STM Flagstaff Manager Christian Martinez said. "Flagstaff is lucky to be home to the observatory that is credited with the discovery of Pluto, and we're so proud to be their tire guys."

You may not have heard of the Lowell Observatory, but you've heard of Pluto. It was discovered there in 1930 by self-taught astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.

In the 1960s, the observatory and its telescopes were used by NASA cartographers and artists to create detailed lunar maps of the moon in support of the Apollo program.

Inside the observatory's main facility—Mars Hill—sits the massive 24-inch diameter Clark Refracting Telescope built in 1896. The telescope mostly is used for public education these days, allowing school children to see the universe. Today, scientists at Lowell use a variety of ground- and space-based instruments for research including the observatory's flagship Lowell Discovery Telescope, which it calls one of the most versatile telescopes in the world.

Lowell historian Kevin Schindler said the Clark Telescope is more than just a piece of history. During a video presentation on the telescope's 125th birthday—July 23, the first time it "saw light"—he called it one of the most storied telescopes in the world.

"It's not just a historical footnote," Schindler said. "What our predecessors did with this telescope—from setting it up, to using it and researching — it's the foundation for what we do today."

The telescope has gone through a complete restoration, thanks to funds raised by its patrons. This includes the tires used to rotate the dome roof when viewing the stars.

In a statement detailing the project, STM said it sought "vintage-looking" Firestone tires made in Nashville, Tenn. Local STM managers said they just did the install on the project, but didn't supply the tires.

"Lowell has been a part of Flagstaff and northern Arizona for 127 years, and we greatly enjoy working with the community and with local suppliers on fun and unusual projects like this one," Jeff Hall, Lowell Observatory director, said in a statement.

On Lowell's website, lowell.edu, the organization notes that several moon-bound astronauts visited the observatory to study the maps.

"The first group of astronauts to train in northern Arizona—the so-called Next Nine, which included the likes of Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and others—also went to Lowell Observatory on a winter day in 1963 to learn mapping techniques from the moon mapping team," the organization notes in a detailed historic account of the day.

The morning temperature was minus-five, and the dinner event seemed stuffy, according to the account, until a Lowell astronomer's wife made a funny remark that got everyone laughing. At night, the astronauts took a deep look into space.

Over the years, the observatory has been used in support of a number of space observation programs.