Arizona Illustrated

Mirrors for Magellan A behind-the-scenes tour of the University of Arizona’s Richard F. Caris Mirror Laboratory which leads the world in making giant, lightweight mirrors of unprecedented power for a new generation of optical telescopes. The Mirror Lab is currently in the process of fashioning mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), one of the next class of giant telescopes that promises to revolutionize our view and understanding of the universe. Flower Bomb When it comes to art, people tend to think of pieces and projects that will be around for years or even centuries…but imagine working with a medium of temporary beauty…one that lasts weeks or days… and even shorter if the work is created outdoors. Such is the colorful if fleeting life of a Flower Bomb… Boys to Men Since 1960 the rate of boys in the United States without fathers has quadrupled. 85% of youths in prisons and two-thirds of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. But there is an organization here in Tucson that actively recruits and trains men from our community to mentor teenage boys by modeling, accepting, listening, & encouraging them…guiding them… from Boys to Men… From the Vault: Old Tucson Fire Last September Old Tucson, the tourist attraction and western film studio built in 1939, closed indefinitely. It’s not the first time this location of movies such as “Rio Bravo” and “The Three Amigos” - and TV shows like “Little House on the Prairie” and Bonanza” - was forced to close its doors. Twenty-six years ago, this month a fire consumed more than 75 percent of the mock old west city…the next morning crews from Arizona Public Media, or “KUAT” as it was known then, got a tour of the devastation.