Jackson Planetarium Will Be Named McNair—Davis Planetarium
The City of Jackson has announced that the long-awaited planetarium reopening will come with a new name.
When the facility opens in late spring, it will do so as the McNair—Davis Planetarium, honoring the legacy of astronaut and filmmaker Dr. Ronald E. McNair alongside former mayor Russell C. Davis, for whom the building was originally named.
"This is a dream come true for a lot of us in the Jackson community," said Mayor John Horhn. The planetarium represents a key piece of downtown revitalization, with support from the city, Hinds County, the state of Mississippi, private donors, and the Community Foundation for Mississippi.
New Three-Story Atrium Connects Historic Buildings
The renovation includes a new three-story atrium connecting the planetarium to the Arts Center of Mississippi. Both buildings were designed by architect Thomas Biggs, and the formerly open-air space between them has been reimagined as the planetarium's new entrance, with visitors entering from the street-level lobby before ascending to the mezzanine and upper floors.
Expanded Educational Spaces for School Groups
The renovated facility will feature dramatically expanded educational spaces designed to serve school groups of up to 300 students at once. A new second-floor multipurpose room can accommodate 150 people in auditorium format or 70 in workshop-style seating with tables. The room features exposed structural trusses spanning Lamar Street and maintains a circular feature from the original projector's scissor lift mechanism as a nod to the building's history.
"The hope is for school groups of around 300 students to come to the theater facility at one time," said Daniel Zegel, an Architect with CDFL who designed the new facility. While 150 students experience the 20-to-30-minute dome shows, others can participate in hands-on activities in the multipurpose space, then switch. The room will also be available for public forums and private events to generate revenue.
State-of-the-Art Dome Theater with 360-Degree Projection
The reimagined theater itself will seat 165 to 180 people beneath a tilted dome offering 360-degree projection. About half the seats will be fixed, while front and middle sections will feature movable seating that can be removed for galas and special events. "You can have a gala where you rent out this space, and people could eat an evening meal under the stars," said Zegel.
A vertical scale model of the solar system will showcase the solar system; Jupiter will appear about 8 feet in diameter while Earth will be marble-sized, helping students grasp planetary scale before entering the dome, which represents the sun.
World's First Orbital Space Museum Features McNair Artifacts
The third-floor exhibit area will be themed as "the world's first orbital space museum," with a "space station" entrance featuring monitor displays showing Earth in low orbit. The Cinema 360 lens Dr. McNair used aboard Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984 will be displayed among the exhibits.
Dr. McNair, a physicist and one of NASA's first African American astronauts, served as mission specialist on the 1984 STS-41B mission, operating camera technology developed in Jackson. He died in the 1986 Challenger accident.
All construction contracts except one small project have been signed, with completion expected no later than May 9, 2026. Additional details about programming and opening festivities will be released as plans are finalized.
