In a collaborative effort, the Lewis Center for Educational Research (in Apple Valley, California), the Apple Valley Unified School District, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA have converted a 34-meter antenna at NASA's Deep Space Network's Goldstone Complex into a unique interactive research and teaching instrument available to classrooms throughout the United States, via the Internet.

The Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescopes (remote area of the Mojave Desert, 40 miles north of Barstow, California. The antenna,  DSS-28 is a 34-meter diameter dish, about 79 times the diameter of a  DISH™ microwave dish used for satellite television reception. DSS-28  (and its 'sister', DSS 27) was originally built to support military operations (see Regan's 'star wars' space defense initiative). Today a partnership of professional scientists (JPL/NASA), educators and  engineers, use DSS-28 (and DSS-13) to support student involvement in the 'real science' experience of working with the international community of radio astronomers.

The GAVRT Project partnership is jointly managed by the Lewis Center for Educational Research and the DSN Science Office, Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.