Radio telescopes at Green Bank Radio Observatory rise above nearby barns on May 16, 2025, in Pocahontas County.Ìý
Gazette-Mail file photo
A newly formed support group for the Green Bank Observatory, now under threat from planned "decommissioning and disposition" in the Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 budget, will host a free virtual screening of an award-winning documentary about the observatory and the community surrounding it on Sept. 4.
The 2024 feature-length documentary, "Small Town Universe," by Emmy-nominated director Katie Dellamaggiore, "paints an intimate and captivating portrait of life in Green Bank [Pocahontas County], home of the world's most sensitive radio telescope and the only U.S. town where WiFi and cell phone use are banned," according to the Internet Movie Data Base.
In addition to the panel discussion, there will be a post-movie opportunity for viewers to ask questions of the director, some of the people featured in the documentary, and learn about the effort to support the observatory, said Deana White, with Get Organized for the Green Bank Observatory, or GO! GBO.
"There is a growing community of support for the Green Bank Observatory to remain fully funded for its open skies science (open to use by researchers worldwide) and its education operations and we would like to share some information about it," said White.
Green Bank funding, by the numbers
This is an undated contributed photo of a radio telescope at the Green Bank National Radio Observatory in Green Bank, Pocahontas County.
Green Bank Observatory | Courtesy photo
Under the Trump administration's National Science Foundation budget request for the 2026 fiscal year, funding for the observatory would drop from $9.55 million to $3 millionÌý— a decrease of 68.6%.
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"The FY 2026 request will support only basic services, such as minimal routine maintenance and continued provision of data to the research community," according to the text of the proposal. "NSF intends to pursue decommissioning and disposition" of the GBO and two other facilities "to focus on higher priority investments."ÌýÌý
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The Green Bank Observatory would fare substantially better under a Commerce, Justice and Science spending bill approved last month by the Senate Appropriations Committee which recommends keeping the National Science Foundation funded at its current $9 billion a year level and the GBO at not less than its FY 2024 appropriation of $9.55 million during the coming fiscal year.Ìý The committee also pledged its support for "efforts to develop new radar capabilities at GBO in partnership with other agencies such as NASA, the Department of Defense, and industry."
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Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was among members of the Senate Appropriations Committee who voted to keep GBO funding at current levels.
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"I have long been a strong advocate for the Green Bank Observatory because of the important role it plays not only in West Virginia, but also in the global scientific community," Capito said in response to a query from the Gazette-Mail. "I was proud to secure funding in the Senate's appropriations bill to ensure the observatory can continue its groundbreaking research and inspire future generations. My office has been in close communication with those who support the observatory, and I wll continue to do everything I can to highlight its significance."
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Meanwhile, a version of the Commerce, Justice and Science spending bill working its way through the House would cap National Science Foundation spending at $7 billion for the coming fiscal year, but so far does not spell out how much of that amount would go to Green Bank.
GBO 'has inspired so many young people'
"The GBO is a vital part of West Virginia, providing over 100 jobs in a very rural setting while contributing approximately $30 million to the state's economy, while making groundbreaking discoveries with its state-of-the-art Green Bank Telescope and other equipment on site," said White. "It would be such a shame to lose it."
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White, who also serves as director of the West Virginia Alliance for STEM and the Arts, said she took part last month in the Governor's Honors Academy, a two-week enhancement program for high-achieving West Virginia high school students, that included spending time at the Green Bank Observatory.
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"The students were so inspired by the observatory and its staff," she said. "The GBO has inspired so many young people to get involved with science over the years, providing a STEM career pipeline for our next generation of researchers."
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GO! GBO has launched a social media campaign, #VoicesForGreenBank, in which people share their stories about the impact the GBO has had on their lives, and pass along information about how to contact key members of Congress to urge them to keep the observatory funded.
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