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United States Astronaut Hall of Fame

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The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame is located in Titusville, Florida. It features the world's largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia, particularly focusing on those astronauts who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

History

The idea behind the museum originated in the 1980s, when the then-six surviving Mercury Seven astronauts began conceived of the idea towards establishing a place where space travelers could be remembered and honored, along the lines of Halls of Fame for other fields.[1] The Hall of Fame was opened on October 29 1990 by the U.S. Space Camp Foundation and located next to the Florida branch of Space Camp.[2]

The Hall of Fame closed for several months in 2002 when U.S. Space Camp Foundation's creditors foreclosed the property due to low attendance and mounting debt.[3] In September, an auction was held and the property was purchased by Delaware North Park Services on behalf of NASA and the property was added to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. However, the Hall of Fame remained closed until December 14 2002 when it was re-opened.[4]

Inductees

See also: Category:U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Inductees

Inductees into the Hall of Fame are selected by a blue ribbon committee of former NASA officials and flight controllers, historians, journalists, and other space authorities based on their accomplishments in space and their contributions to the advancement of space exploration.[5]

The inaugural class was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990 and consisted of the Mercury Seven. In addition to being the first American astronauts, the Mercury Seven set several firsts in American spaceflight, both auspicious and tragic. Alan Shepard was the first American in space and later one of the twelve men to walk on the moon. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth. Gus Grissom was the first American to go into space twice and was the commander of Apollo 1, which resulted in the first American deaths directly related to spaceflight or the preparation for spaceflight.

Thirteen astronauts from the Gemini and Apollo programs were inducted in 1993. This class included the first and last man to walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan; Ed White, the first American to spacewalk also killed in the Apollo 1 accident; James Lovell, commander of Apollo 13; and John Young, whose six flights included a moon walk and command of the first Space Shuttle mission.

The third class was inducted in 1997 and consisted of the twenty-four Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab astronauts who had not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Notable members of the class were Roger Chaffee, the third astronaut killed in the Apollo 1 fire; Harrison Schmitt, the first scientist and next to last man to walk on the moon; and Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, the remaining crew of Apollo 13 that were not already inducted.

Twenty-two astronauts from the Space Shuttle program have been inducted since 2001. Among these are Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; Story Musgrave, who flew six missions in the 1980s and 1990s; and Francis Scobee, commander of the ill-fated Challenger mission. [6] Except for 2002, inductions have been held every year since 2001.

The most recent class, inducted in May 2007, consists of NASA Johnson Space Center director Michael Coats and astronomers Steven Hawley and Jeffrey A. Hoffman.[7][8][9] Hawley and Hoffman are known for their efforts to launch and repair satellites, including the Hubble Space Telescope.

Exhibits

Among the Hall of Fames displays are two spacecraft, Sigma 7, the Mercury spacecraft piloted by Wally Schirra to orbited the Earth six times in 1962 and CSM Kitty Hawk, the Command Module used in the Apollo 14 spaceflight to the Moon. There is also an Astronaut Adventure room which acts as a simulator for use by children.

The spacesuit worn by Gus Grissom during Mercury 4 is also on display and has been stuck in a tug of war between NASA and Grissom's heirs and supporters since 2002. The spacesuit, along with other Gus Grissom artifacts, were loaned to the original owners of the Hall of Fame by the Grissom family when it opened in 1990. However, after the Hall of Fame went into bankruptcy and was taken over by a NASA contractor in 2002, the family requested all of their items to be returned.[10] All of the items, except the spacesuit, were returned to Grissom's family. Both NASA and the Grissom's claim ownership of the spacesuit.[11] NASA claims Grissom checked out the spacesuit for a school show and tell and then never returned the spacesuit, while the Grissom's claim Gus rescued the spacesuit from a scrap heap.[12]

References

  1. ^ http://www.astronautscholarship.org/ahof.html
  2. ^ Jay Clarke (1990-10-30). "Mercury Museum -- Hall Of Fame Honors 7 Who Blazed A Trail In Space". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-05-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Corey Schubert (2002-08-07). "Space Camp Florida Faces Foreclosure, Low Attendance Partly to Blame". Florida Torday. Retrieved 2007-05-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Astronaut Hall of Fame Reopens to Public Saturday, Dec. 14 As Newest Attraction at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex". Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. 2002-12-14. Retrieved 2007-05-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Boeing Executive Inducted Into Astronaut Hall of Fame". The Boeing Company. 2004-05-04. Retrieved 2007-05-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Inductee Biographies, retrieved May 42007
  7. ^ 2007 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction, retrieved May 42007
  8. ^ U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame to Add Three American Heroes in May, retrieved May 42007
  9. ^ Carreau, Mark, 3 NASA shuttle fliers to enter Astronaut Hall of Fame, The Houston Chronicle, May 42007, retrieved May 42007
  10. ^ John Kelly (2002-11-20). "Gus Grissom's Family, NASA Fight Over Spacesuit". Florida Today. Retrieved 2007-05-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Luckless Gus Grissom in the hot seat again". RoadsideAmerica.com. 2002-11-24. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Chistopher Lee (2005-08-24). "Grissom Spacesuit in Tug of War". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-05-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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