The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is
a museum operated by the government of Alabama, showcasing rockets,
achievements, and artifacts of the U.S. space program. Sometimes billed as
"Earth's largest space museum", astronaut Owen Garriott described the
place as, "a great way to learn about space in a town that has embraced
the space program from the very beginning."
Opened in 1970, just after the second manned mission to the
lunar surface, the center not only showcases Apollo Program hardware but also
houses interactive science exhibits, Space Shuttle and Army rocketry and
aircraft. With more than 1,500 permanent rocketry and space exploration
artifacts, as well as many rotating rocketry and space-related exhibits, the
center occupies land carved out of Redstone Arsenal adjacent to Huntsville
Botanical Garden at exit 15 on Interstate 565. The center offers bus tours of
nearby Marshall Space Flight Center.
Two camp programs offer visitors the opportunity to stay on
the grounds and learn more about their respective subject matter. U.S. Space
Camp gives an in-depth exposure to the space program through participant use of
simulators, lectures, and training exercises. Similarly, Aviation Challenge
offers a taste of military fighter pilot training including simulations,
lectures, and survival exercises. Both camps provide residential and day camp
educational programs for children and adults.
