On June 10-14, the City of Albuquerque is hosting “Atomic 66” — a multi-day, multi-location exhibition, conference and celebration for space lovers, regardless of their specialties. “Atomic 66” includes scientists, entrepreneurs, historians, activists, artists, filmmakers and enthusiasts. The event served to bring the community together to celebrate New Mexico’s long and unique relationship with space.

The cornerstone event — the Space Fiesta — was held on June 11 at the Historic Lobo Theater. The event had music by a robot DJ, interactive art exhibits, speakers, performers and booths where various groups could share their work.

One booth featured was the University of New Mexico Cosmiac, a UNM student group associated with UNM’s engineering department, focused on engaging students with aerospace engineering projects and the UNM small satellites group.

“The Cosmiac is a good way to get students involved in space research. It’s basically a pipeline we’ve got going on,” Alex Ashcraft, a Cosmiac and Small Satellite group representative, said. “We’re always looking for more people.”

NewSpace Nexus, a non-profit aiming to connect space innovators and start-ups with investors and resources, was also in attendance. Their mission is best summed up by their motto “Unite and Ignite.”

“We have what we call a ‘New Space Igniter Program,’” Casey Anglada DeRaad, the CEO and founder of NewSpace Nexus, said. “We work with about 25 companies per year, and we help them get from their concept, turn it into a product, then get to the point where they’re making money. Sometimes we say we’re a start-up helping start-ups.”

The New Mexico chapter of DarkSky also had a booth. DarkSky is dedicated to preserving the night sky and lessening light-pollution. Light pollution can interfere with the navigation, migration with night animals and insects as well as interfere with human circadian rhythms.

Also tabling were The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, One Albuquerque and Space Valley — a non-profit seeking to expand and support New Mexico’s space industry.

Bryce Kennedy, the executive director of the Space Valley Foundation, spoke at the fiesta.

“Why space? The Earth is burning, the world is in peril. We’ve got all sorts of problems,” he said. “New Mexico has been a space state for over five thousand years. The celestial creation stories, the hope, the aspiration and artistry and the spirituality — everything really stems from us looking up to the stars.”

Additionally featured was STEMarts, who were showcasing its augmented reality art project. By scanning QR codes scattered around the event, attendees could use their phone to see AR 3D-modeled art pieces.

Ian Harrison, a student educator with STEMarts, said that STEMarts aims to engage people in rural communities, specifically young women, with STEM and its connection to art.

“We pull a lot of younger women from Taos, Espanola and Pueblos and we teach them how to develop these skills,” Harrison said. “They provide the art, then it gets shown around the world, and they get to come and talk about it.”

Another featured art exhibit was a series of sculptures made by Tony Price. The sculptures, which were hung on the Lobo Theater wall, resembled faces and were made with salvage from Los Alamos Labs.

“It’s a conglomerate of the city coming together, being creative and experiencing something bigger than Albuquerque,” attendee and filmmaker Luis Ignacio Martinez, said.

Following the Space Fiesta is the Guild’s space-centric film festival on June 12, as well as various tech talks and networking events throughout Albuquerque.