Home improvements

The Astrodome — before artificial turf replaces the natural, albeit dying, grass

The newly opened Harris County Dome (aka the Astrodome) undergoes a $20,000 paint job on its ceiling 61 years ago today – a necessity because the glare of the sunlight coming through the top of the dome makes catching fly balls an iffy proposition, at best, during day games.

Of course, sealing off the sunlight causes the grass on the field to die, and that predicament leads to the introduction of AstroTurf in 1966.

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