HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is holding a news conference Monday, June 11, at 10:30 a.m., to launch a campaign to preserve its collection of historic rockets, the Saturn IB at the Alabama Welcome Center at Ardmore and the replica Saturn V moon rocket These rockets mark the community’s contributions to America’s space program and symbolize the reason Huntsville is called the Rocket City.
The goal of the campaign is to raise $20 million to preserve and relocate the historic rockets and to have the Saturn V preserved and repainted. The plan is to have the Saturn V project completed in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
The historic artifacts were mounted before the Rocket Center opened in March 1970, and the Saturn V replica was erected in 1999.
“We are embarking on this effort to preserve the accomplishments of the past and to pave the path for the future of the Rocket Center,” Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and Executive Director of the Rocket Center. “In this project, the public will have the opportunity to commemorate the friends and family members who designed and built these rockets. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recognize the human endeavor behind these world-changing artifacts.”
Work starts Monday on removing the rockets in Rocket Row, beginning with the Mercury Redstone, the first manned booster. The rocket removal is the first stage of a master plan currently under development by Perkins + Will of Atlanta.
Media contact: Pat Ammons, pat.ammons@spacecamp.com; 256-721-5429
About U.S. Space & Rocket Center
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is home to Space Camp®, Aviation Challenge®, Space Camp Robotics® and U.S. Cyber Camp, the Apollo 16 capsule, the National Historic Landmark Saturn V rocket and world-class traveling exhibits. USSRC is the Official Visitor Center for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and a showcase for national defense technologies developed at the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal.
To learn more about the exciting programs and activities at the USSRC, go to www.rocketcenter.com.