posted 10-08-2014 07:36 AM               

Space Center Houston is first Smithsonian Affiliate in Houston

Space Center Houston is now a member of the Smithsonian's crew.

Space Center Houston, which serves as the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas, is now the first museum in Houston to be named a Smithsonian Affiliate. The new status grants the center access to the national archive of more than 138 million artifacts, as well as entree to more than 50 traveling exhibitions developed by the Smithsonian Institution.

"We're already the curators of some of the most priceless artifacts from the space program; this really highlights that fact," Richard Allen, president and CEO of Space Center Houston, told collectSPACE.com "An association with the Smithsonian is really special for us because they are such a well-known, highly-regarded institution and our ability to be affiliated with them is just fantastic."