|
Author
|
Topic: Visiting the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (AL)
|
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 05-04-2009 08:38 AM
   
I spent two days at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama last week. It's a great place for kids and a fun place for adults too. |
Linda K
Member Posts: 62
From: Greensboro, NC 27455
Registered: Aug 2008
|
posted 05-04-2009 06:35 PM
I agree — a great place to visit. I was there with a group of eight JROTC cadets. We had gone to Huntsville to be a part of the Honor Flight sending 125 WWII vets to Washington, D.C. for the day, and took the cadets to the space center in between the departure and return. |
HelmetHair
Member Posts: 104
From: Georgia
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 08-03-2009 09:59 PM
At short notice, I'm heading to Alabama and will be spending my time looking at large rocket shaped, erm, rockets.Can someone who has been there suggest a time I should allow for this? I do intend to view everything on display, but not to sit staring at any one item for hours. Also, is there a Saturn stage nearby, but not at, Huntsville? I'll check the web to be sure of its location, unless someone can post up the town/location? |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 08-03-2009 10:11 PM
There is a Saturn IB on I-65 just south of the Tennessee/Alabama border at a rest stop in Elkmont, Alabama. |
AFGAS
Member Posts: 89
From: Merritt Island, FL
Registered: Feb 2008
|
posted 08-04-2009 03:13 AM
See more about the I-65 Saturn I here. |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 08-04-2009 06:10 AM
I took two days to see everything, including the movies. If you're just looking at rockets I'd allow a day — half will be spent inside the Davidson Center viewing the horizontal Saturn V, and the rest will be spent viewing the upright version and the rest of the rockets, LM trainer, etc., outside. There's some walking involved so allow time for that.One of the most enjoyable part of my visit was the view of the rockets from my hotel room. If staying at the Marriott try for one of the rooms with a balcony overlooking the USSRC grounds. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2476
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
|
posted 08-04-2009 09:22 AM
The rocket side of the hotel is a must. That is where we took this photo last year. |
HelmetHair
Member Posts: 104
From: Georgia
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 08-04-2009 10:54 AM
Many thanks for your replies. I'll be sure to head a bit further up to Tennessee for the Saturn booster too. |
tncmaxq
Member Posts: 287
From: New Haven, CT USA
Registered: Oct 2001
|
posted 08-04-2009 11:36 AM
Seeing that vertical Saturn V was great. It gave me a feeling of what it must have been like to see one of the real ones at Kennedy Space Center decades ago. I was glad I also made the drive up to the Tennessee border to see the Saturn 1B. It was in a bit of disrepair but still was very impressive. |
sts205cdr
Member Posts: 649
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Jun 2001
|
posted 08-04-2009 12:14 PM
The view from the hotel made me tingle all night my first time at Space Camp, and still does every time I go back. But one time I stayed on the other side and was delighted to watch the younger kids launch model rockets at Hickam Field...I'm getting homesick for Space Camp! |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2476
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
|
posted 08-04-2009 02:35 PM
The Saturn 1B at the visitor center has been cleaned up as this photo taken in May shows. Well worth the visit. |
HelmetHair
Member Posts: 104
From: Georgia
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 08-10-2009 12:35 PM
Well, that was a superb visit!The Saturn V exhibits were fascinating, and you get a real sense of the hard work and dedication of those involved. I took several pictures of the Saturn V, and am going to try and stitch them together. If I get a decent result (and I may not) I'll post it. It took me a day starting at 9 a.m., although I only watched one film, "Magnificent Desolation," excellent on IMAX. The rest stop with the other Saturn booster is 33 miles from the USSRC. If you look hard, you can find a picture of a certain Robert Pearlman near the museum/cafeteria entrances! On edit: Oh yes, and while I was there I noticed a WSS on display. The name tag was covered up, but the cover was peeling off. The name on it was... Lousma (Well, LOU visible, definitely a U, not a V. Is this a new sighting of a flown suit, or old news? |
Mr Meek
Member Posts: 353
From: Chattanooga, TN
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 08-10-2009 04:22 PM
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. The USSRC is a great museum. quote:
Originally posted by HelmetHair:
Oh yes, and while I was there I noticed a WSS on display.
Where was this suit located? If it was upstairs in the shuttle exhibit, I believe it's a Lovell A6L trainer. I've got a picture of the suit with most of the label peeled off. |
HelmetHair
Member Posts: 104
From: Georgia
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 08-11-2009 12:15 PM
The WSS is indeed in the shuttle section upstairs in the museum.It is definitely a "U". I first read it as a V, probably because Lovell is better known to me than Lousma, but I couldn't think of the STS connection, then a closer look confirmed it to be a "U". I tried to photograph it, but couldn't get a good shot showing that, but it IS a "U". |
Mr Meek
Member Posts: 353
From: Chattanooga, TN
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 08-11-2009 12:44 PM
Hmm, it looks very much like a "V" in the picture I have. However, that may be due to a ripple in the fabric and the angle at which I had to take the picture. I know it's been moved around a little since I last saw it, so it may very well be clearly a "U". At any rate, it's almost certainly a trainer and not flown. |
ScottJ
Member Posts: 14
From: Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Registered: Oct 2007
|
posted 08-14-2009 10:56 PM
The suit is definitely a Lousma suit. I've helped place the white tape back over the Lousma name before and have photos of the ILC label in the suit with Lousam listed as the size.As most of you are aware, there are few, if any, shuttle suits available for display. As a result, the museum had to make do with a late Apollo/Skylab era suit in their shuttle display area. The Lousma name is covered over simply to make the suit more "believable" as a shuttle era suit. |
Atlantis
Member Posts: 111
From: Cullman, AL
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 08-22-2009 11:14 AM
I've seen these two items on the "back 40" at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center for years and was wondering if anyone could identify them for me?  |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 08-22-2009 11:14 AM
Looks like some Saturn skirt and interstage assemblies... |
AFGAS
Member Posts: 89
From: Merritt Island, FL
Registered: Feb 2008
|
posted 08-24-2009 10:40 AM
That's what they are. Used to be part of the line for the G-force experience. Trying to get numbers off of them, but so far, no luck. |
ChaplainTG
New Member Posts: 1
From: Huntsville, AL
Registered: Aug 2009
|
posted 08-25-2009 11:43 AM
I use to work at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center years ago for quite a while (1975-1986). Those two items once formed the Lunar Odyssey ride that sat where the G-Force now sits. There was an unfortunate accident back in 1985 where a floor guide was killed on this ride while the then ten Teacher in Space finalists were on board riding. Not many years later the ride was torn down and replaced with the G-Force. These are old test articles for the interstage areas from a Saturn. All the years I worked there I never saw any identifying marks on any of the items though. Hope that helps! If you would like to know any other interesting facts about the Space Center just ask. |
Atlantis
Member Posts: 111
From: Cullman, AL
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 08-25-2009 07:55 PM
Thanks! I guess the rest of the conical section was removed for the Valle Marinaris expedition thing that isn't used anymore. |
Mr Meek
Member Posts: 353
From: Chattanooga, TN
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 08-25-2009 08:20 PM
Actually, I believe those are the S-II and S-IVB interstages that could belong to SA-500-D. They've got the requisite brackets and the S-IVB interstage has fairings for retrorockets. Whether or not they were stacked as part of the dynamic test, I don't know.As for the other pieces, there are only a handful of stages that these could be from. However, I have yet to find any firm information as to what the origin(s) of these pieces are. |
James Brown
Member Posts: 1287
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Registered: Jun 2000
|
posted 03-04-2010 08:02 AM
A few of us are headed to Huntsville this Saturday for a day visit to the Space and Rocket Center. Me, Joel Katzowitz, Gilbert Huey, and Gary Milgrom. Anyone interested in joining us? We should be arriving around 8:30 a.m. and plan on having BBQ for dinner later in the day. Also, can anyone recommend anything else in the area that we should see or do while we're there that's space related? Hope some of you can join us. Editor's note: Threads merged |
mikej
Member Posts: 481
From: Germantown, WI USA
Registered: Jan 2004
|
posted 03-04-2010 08:03 AM
The various parts of the Konrad Dannenberg collection is on display at the Salmon Library at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. I'm pretty sure it's in a different building at UAH (I forget which one, exactly), but part of von Braun's collection is also available; one of the hallway has a number of large panels detailing von Braun's career. The von Braun Astronomical Society has a planetarium in Monte Sano State Park. Someone (not affiliated with the Society) told me that the planetarium's dome came from a disused S-IVB tank. The park itself has a number of observation areas giving beautiful views of the surrounding area. And driving up and down Monte Sano will take you past the homes (and former homes) of many members, both German and American, of the rocket team. I understand that there was an idea to mark the homes and provide some sort of tour map, but the idea was abandoned out of privacy concerns for the current homeowners. |
Gilbert
Member Posts: 1328
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
|
posted 03-07-2010 11:21 AM
We had a great time at the museum, and thanks to Shuttleman Scott for an informative and entertaining show & tell lunch at Greenbrier BBQ. The new Saturn V center is awesome! |
James Brown
Member Posts: 1287
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Registered: Jun 2000
|
posted 03-07-2010 02:53 PM
It was a fun trip. Good to see my buds. Enjoyed meeting Scott and hearing his stories. The museum sure has changed since the last time I was there. |
Joel Katzowitz
Member Posts: 808
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999
|
posted 03-08-2010 07:42 PM
It was great spending time with the group and Scott joining us for lunch was an added treat.I haven't been to the museum in maybe 12 years and while the Saturn V center was great, the rest of the museum looked a bit shabby. There were many artifacts on display without their support panels to describe the piece and it's relevance or history. I guess it's a funding issue, which I can understand, but it's still sad. |
Shuttleman
Member Posts: 117
From: Huntsville, Al. USA
Registered: Mar 2007
|
posted 03-09-2010 04:46 PM
I want to thank Gary Milgrom for setting up the visit in Huntsville and thanks to Gilbert, Jimmy and Joel for their kindness and encouragement for my future book endeavor. I'm already looking forward to their next visit... lets keep the dream alive through our collections and experiences. |
Atlantis
Member Posts: 111
From: Cullman, AL
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 04-01-2010 10:39 AM
quote:
Originally posted by mikej:
I'm pretty sure it's in a different building at UAH (I forget which one, exactly), but part of von Braun's collection is also available; one of the hallway has a number of large panels detailing von Braun's career.
That's over at the Von Braun Research Hall. One of the clubs I'm in meets there every Tuesday and Thursday, and go over on a pretty regular basis and peruse the display. |
Atlantis
Member Posts: 111
From: Cullman, AL
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 04-07-2010 10:22 AM
Also, the LC-34 white room is currently undergoing restoration for display at the Davidson Center [via Space Camp on Facebook]. |
dfox
Member Posts: 208
From: Scarsdale, NY, United States
Registered: Mar 2010
|
posted 08-23-2010 04:34 PM
Next weekend I will be attending the Parent/Child weekend program at Space Camp. This will be our first time there.I was wondering if anyone might have tips/advice for how to get the best experience out of the weekend. Also, we will be going up a day early and will have an afternoon to see the sights. What would be a good activity for a free afternoon/evening in Huntsville? Editor's note: Threads merged. |
collocation
Member Posts: 383
From: McLean, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2004
|
posted 08-23-2010 04:35 PM
I used to go to Huntsville on business frequently and a good tour, if it is still available, is the Redstone Arsenal. The tour was by bus and our tour guide was a former employee back in the day. |
sts205cdr
Member Posts: 649
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Jun 2001
|
posted 08-23-2010 04:35 PM
We go to the Huntsville Botanical Garden during our 8-day Camp to take a break from training. It's absolutely beautiful. |
canyon42
Member Posts: 238
From: Ohio
Registered: Mar 2006
|
posted 01-27-2016 07:46 PM
I may have a chance to make a run down to Huntsville during the second half of March. Having never been there, can anyone give me an idea how much time I should allot to seeing what's there? Do I need a couple of days, or would one full day take care of it?Editor's note: Threads merged. |
advertisement