The History of the US Space & Rocket Center in Alabama

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is the biggest space museum anywhere in the world. The museum is the public part of Marshall Space Flight Center, one of the major NASA hubs in the U.S. The Space and Rocket Center is the home of Space Camp, a camp for kids that introduces them to astronaut training and the world of space exploration.

Beginnings

Marshall Space Flight Center opened in 1960, and the museum first opened in 1970.

Camp

Space Camp was started in 1982 and has attracted children from all over the world. Chelsea Clinton, the Olsen twins and Amy Carter are just a few of the celebrity kids who have attended it.

Popular Culture

The 1986 movie Space Camp, starring Kate Capshaw and Lea Thompson, was filmed in the museum and in the space camp.

Shuttle

The Pathfinder shuttle was added to the museum in 1988. It's the only full-scale exhibit of a shuttle in the U.S.

Davidson

The Davidson Center for Space Exploration, which opened in 2008, was created to house the restored Saturn V rocket and serves as a new entryway for the museum. The glass and metal building is 476 feet long and holds the Saturn V suspended above the floor.

References

• More About the U.S. Space and Rocket Center