SPOCK ACTOR GIVES BIG TO OBSERVATORY.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

The ``Star Trek'' officer who launched millions of couch potatoes into outer space has sparked a multimillion-dollar drive to preserve Griffith Observatory, officials announced Wednesday.

Leonard Nimoy, best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayal of Mr. Spock, and his wife, Susan, have donated $1 million to refurbish the aging Los Angeles landmark and stellar vantage point.

``By observing the sky and pondering our place in the universe, people gain a new perspective on their daily lives,'' Nimoy said in a statement.

``Griffith Observatory gives its visitors that opportunity. It is a Los Angeles icon, one which we need to ensure will be here for generations to come.''

The Nimoy donation marks the first major private gift toward the $63 million Griffith Observatory face lift to begin next year and be completed by late 2004.

Until the unsolicited gift, the observatory had raised nearly $42 million from corporate, foundational and park-bond sources. In the actor's honor, a 200-seat lecture hall in the 35,000-square-foot underground expansion will be named the ``Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon.''

``I think it's of cosmic consequence,'' said Griffith Observatory Director Edwin C. Krupp. ``There's something really appealing about Leonard Nimoy's professional career and being able to bring it into this space.''

Since its founding in 1935, the Griffith Observatory has captivated 67 million visitors - now roughly 2 million a year - to the celestial wonders through its 12-inch Zeiss refractor telescope and planetarium.

Its bronze Art Deco dome has starred in thousands of films - including the switchblade scene in James Dean's ``Rebel without a Cause'' - and has served as a symbol of the city.

``We're here not to make astronomy look good, but for people to have eye contact with the universe,'' Krupp said. ``This is the real deal: Inspiring that sense of wonder is directly linked to our survival, because it prompts us to ask the big questions.''

But the architectural triumph known throughout the world is showing its age, observatory officials said. Parts aren't available for the planetarium projector, installed in 1964. The rest is run on chewing gum and bailing wire.

The Nimoys' gift, said Joy Picus, president of the Friends of the Observatory and a former city councilwoman from Woodland Hills, truly enhances its prospects.

``We are a classic, classic L.A. institution, revered,'' Picus said. ``It's just incredible for us to have this generosity: They're true, great philanthropists.''

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Photo: NIMOY