U.S. Space & Rocket Center - An In-Depth Guide

U.S. Space & Rocket Center History

• What major space developments took place in Huntsville?
  • Huntsville is where the rockets that put the country's first satellite into orbit and sent men to the moon were developed.
  • The city also played a key role in developing propulsion systems for space shuttles and designing modules for the International Space Station (ISS).
  • Huntsville is currently designing the Space Launch System, America's next great spacecraft.
• What is the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center?
  • Huntsville is home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
  • It houses the Payload Operations Center, which monitors science experiments on the International Space Station 24/7.
• How was the U.S. Space & Rocket Center established?
  • During the last months of refining the Saturn V rockets for the Apollo missions, Dr. Wernher von Braun envisioned a museum to showcase space program hardware.
  • Von Braun collaborated with NASA and the U.S. Army Missile Command to establish the museum.
  • The land was donated by the U.S. Army, and in 1970, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center officially opened.
  • Since its opening, the center has welcomed almost seventeen million visitors.
• What exhibits and programs are available at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center?
  • The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is the world’s largest spaceflight museum and features:
  • Robotics Camp, Space Camp, and Aviation Camp
  • Dozens of interactive exhibits that allow visitors to experience being an astronaut for a day
  • One of the world’s largest collections of space and rocket hardware, valued in the tens of millions of dollars
  • A collection that represents past, present, and future human spaceflight
• What notable artifacts and spacecraft are at the museum?
  • The museum houses iconic space artifacts, including:
  • Explorer I, the country’s first satellite
  • Next-generation space vehicles like Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser
  • The Saturn V moon rocket, a National Historic Landmark
• What special experiences can visitors enjoy at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center?
  • The center offers experiences beyond just exhibits, including:
  • Astronaut training simulators like G-Force and Space Shot
  • The world-class INTUITIVE® Planetarium, which features live, interactive programming daily under a 270-foot dome
• Is the U.S. Space & Rocket Center affiliated with NASA?
  • Yes, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is an official Smithsonian Institution affiliate.
  • It also serves as the Official NASA Visitor Center for the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Main Exhibit Area at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

• What is the U.S. Space & Rocket Center?
  • The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is home to one of the world's greatest collections of space and rocket memorabilia.
  • It serves as the Official Visitor Center for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
  • It is also a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate.
• What historical space programs are covered at the museum?
  • Visitors can learn about:
  • NASA’s journey to put a man on the moon during the Space Race
  • The development of the International Space Station
  • The space shuttle program and its impact on human spaceflight
  • Future technological innovations and private space ventures
• What notable artifacts and exhibits are on display?
  • The collection at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center includes:
  • A Skylab solar array
  • The Apollo 15 capsule "Casper"
  • The original Mercury and Gemini capsule trainers
  • Several space travel simulators
  • Hands-on interactive exhibits

ISS: Science on Orbit

Visitors can experience what it is truly like to work and live in space in the center's new exhibit, ISS: Science on Orbit. The exhibition also includes a replica of the Payload Operations Integration Center of NASA, where engineers and scientists on Earth oversee the international, complex science experiments on the International Space Station that are conducted by the astronauts.

Shuttle Park

The Shuttle Park at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center provides visitors with an opportunity to explore the chronology of launch vehicles, the most exhaustive chronology in the United States. These launch vehicles include a genuine external tank, real space shuttle nozzles of the main engine, and two solid rocket boosters. The Shuttle Park also contains the only Space Transportation System that is fully-stacked in the world. Pathfinder, an orbiter displayed in Shuttle Park, is bordered by a T-38, a twin-engine supersonic jet. The T-38 is used in astronaut training.

Rocket Park

Mercury astronaut John Glenn stated the United States Space & Rocket Center's Rocket Park was "the finest rocket collection in the world." Within the park are twenty-seven rockets and missiles that represent how the rocketry of the Army launched the country's space program, as well as helped create the Marshall Space Flight Center of NASA.

Saturn V Hall at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration

Visitors to the Saturn V Hall at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration can experience the spectacular view of an authentic Saturn V rocket, a National Historic Landmark. This rocket is one of the world's only three Saturn V rockets. The hall also features Marshall Space Flight Center and NASA contributions to space exploration in the past, present, and future.

Museum Simulators

• What simulators are available at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center?
  • The center features several space and aviation simulators that allow visitors to experience what it’s like to be an astronaut or pilot.
• What is the Space Shot simulator?
  • Space Shot gives guests the chance to experience the launch of a rocket.
  • The simulator launches guests 140 feet straight up using 4G’s of force in only 2.5 seconds.
  • It provides two to three seconds of weightlessness before a 1G free fall.
• What is the G-Force Accelerator?
  • The G-Force Accelerator allows guests to train like an astronaut by experiencing three times the force of gravity.
  • Riders must test their will and strength against the centrifugal force as 3G’s push on their body.
• What is the Rocket Pod motion theater?
  • The Rocket Pod is a mobile motion theater located in Shuttle Park.
  • It takes guests on exciting space journeys, including:
  • Viewing a black hole
  • Experiencing the launch of the Hubble Telescope
  • The theater features five different shows and can seat up to 20 people at a time.
• What is the Apache Simulator?
  • The U.S. Space & Rocket Center offers an Apache AH-64D Longbow helicopter simulator.
  • Guests can take control of a re-outfitted Apache helicopter and fly through the skies on a mission.
  • In the simulator, visitors can:
  • Shoot down enemies using 30mm rounds, Hellfire missiles, and Hydra missiles.
  • Learn how to maneuver in tight spaces or control the turret as the gunner.
  • Experience what it’s like to pilot one of the country’s most lethal aviation machines.

Activities for Kids:

There are also activities available at the United States Space & Rocket Center that give children a chance to get out some of their energy, such as the Kids Cosmos Energy Depletion Zone. In the Kids Cosmos Energy Depletion Zone, children can try being astronauts as they crawl around the International Space Station. Kids can crawl into the rocket and imagine being launched to the moon, or picture docking the command module to the International Space Station. Older visitors can challenge themselves on the Mars Climbing Wall as they scale Olympus Mons, the Milky Way's tallest volcano.

Brick Locator

Outside of the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, commemorative bricks encompass the Saturn V rocket in the Apollo Courtyard. Within the commemorative brick collection that honors the innovative scientists and engineers who helped the United States put astronauts on the moon are supporters and alumni of the United States Space & Rocket Center.

National Geographic Theater

The National Geographic in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration presents quality education documentaries in 3D. The movies in the theater found in the Saturn V Hall are displayed on a massive fifty-two foot screen.

IMAX Spacedome Theater

Visitors to the United States Space & Rocket Center can let their senses soar as they watch an IMAX movie at the sixty-seven foot IMAX Spacedome Theater. This theater contains the only IMAX dome screen in Huntsville. The screen fills guests's entire field of sight and surrounds them with the on-screen action.

The United States Space & Rocket Center Archives

The United States Space & Rocket Center Archives include several of the most significant technical documents and historic papers of the twentieth century. Among these documents and papers are the papers of Dr. Wernher von Braun, as well as those of other rocket scientists. In addition to these papers are technical documents about the early space program, Science Fiction data dating from the 1920's, and NASA's special publications from the early years. The space collection of Frederick Ordway III, Technical Advisor for the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, is also contained within the Archives of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

U.S. Space & Rocket Center, One Tranquility Base Huntsville, AL 35805, Phone: 256-837-3400, Map