On Sunday, we were able to visit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. We have wanted to go for a very long time, but this is the first time we were in the vicinity with time to spare.
We arrived before they opened on Sunday morning at 9AM. The parking lot was empty when we parked but soon had a handful of other cars. The giant rocket from yesterday’s post was beside the parking lot, so we took a look at that and a few other outdoor displays before they opened the doors. On walking into the building, we had the place to ourselves, at least for a few minutes.
The first exhibit was about space exploration in popular culture.
We saw dolls, toys, and posters that celebrated space expeditions in the style of popular movies. The photo of the Star Trek cast at the launch of the Enterprise space shuttle in 1976 was a particular treat.
The second exhibit was new and focused on the use of technology to predict and monitor weather. As residents of a tornado- and hurricane-impacted region, it was great to learn how satellites and other technology help build radar maps and other prediction methods. A deadly and destructive tornado that affected Huntsville in 1989 spurred the development of many of the tools that save lives when severe weather approaches.
The third exhibit focused on 21st-century space exploration. It held examples and models of rockets and vessels used by ULA, NASA, and Blue Origin, as well as an interactive Deep Space Habitat that could be used on longer trips such as journeying to Mars. As folks who love growing lettuce in our Aerogarden, we enjoyed the display of ways to grow food in space.
More to come in our next post…