New Mexico Museum of Space History facts for kids
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| Established | October 5, 1976 |
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| Location | Alamogordo, New Mexico |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Visitors | 5,034,369 to date as of July 1, 2013 |
The New Mexico Museum of Space History is a cool museum and planetarium in Alamogordo, New Mexico. It's all about space flight and the exciting Space Age. You can also find the International Space Hall of Fame here.
The museum shows how New Mexico helped the U. S. space program. It's one of eight museums run by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. The museum has been officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums since 1993. It is also connected with the Smithsonian Affiliate program.
A special resident at the museum is Ham. He was a chimpanzee who flew into space in 1961. He was the first great ape to do so!
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Exhibits
The New Mexico Museum of Space History has many interesting things to see. You can explore different parts of the museum, both inside and outside.
Inside the Main Building
The main building has exhibits about the planets in our Solar System. You can learn about space flight and the animals used in early space experiments. The museum has copies of important space items. These include satellites, the Space Shuttle, and the Apollo Lunar Module. The real ones are either in space or on the Moon!
Other Cool Buildings to See
The Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX Theater and Planetarium is a special place. It has a huge dome screen. This screen can show both IMAX movies and amazing planetarium shows. You can watch IMAX films every day.
The Hubbard Space Science Education Building opened in 1991. It holds the museum's library and offices. Here, museum staff prepare items for display.
Outdoor Adventures at the Museum
The John P. Stapp Air and Space Park is an outdoor area. It has large space artifacts. You can see the Sonic Wind No. 1 rocket sled here. This sled was ridden by John P. Stapp.
Ham, the famous chimpanzee, is buried at the museum. His burial spot is in front of the flagpoles. Ham passed away in 1983.
The Astronaut Memorial Garden honors astronauts who died. It was first made for those lost in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. Later, names from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster were added.
The Daisy Track is another outdoor exhibit. It was an air-powered sled track. It helped test safety devices, like early seat belts. The museum saved parts of the Daisy Track in 1986. They put it back together as an exhibit in 2004. Part of the Daisy Track is outside, and part is inside a building. This building also has other exhibits.
Awesome Museum Programs
The museum offers exciting programs for all ages.
International Space Hall of Fame
The International Space Hall of Fame honors people who have greatly helped space flight. One museum exhibit shows photos and stories of these amazing people. New members are added each year, usually in October.
New Mexico Space Academy Summer Camp
The New Mexico Rocketeer Academy Summer Camp started in 1986. It aims to get kids interested in science and engineering. The program focuses on rockets, space science, and astronomy. There are different classes for different age groups. Kids from kindergarten through 12th grade can join.
Home for Spaceport America History
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority chose this museum as a special place. It will keep materials about Spaceport America. This is a commercial spaceport near Upham.
Annual Fireworks Extravaganza
Every July 4th, the museum hosts a huge fireworks show. The museum and the City of Alamogordo help pay for it. You can see the fireworks from all over the city. Museum members can watch from the museum grounds.
Museum's History and Growth
The museum has grown and changed over the years.
The museum first started as the International Space Hall of Fame. In 1973, former Alamogordo mayor Dwight Ohlinger had an idea. He was inspired by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He thought a Space Hall of Fame should be in Alamogordo. This was because much space program work happened in the Tularosa Basin.
Ohlinger got support from leaders at all levels. Governor Bruce King liked the idea. The early plans included space artifacts and a planetarium.
The main building was designed like a "golden cube." It has gold-tinted glass outside. It opened to the public on November 23, 1976. The first fifteen Hall of Fame members were honored at the opening.
The planetarium was built with an IMAX theater. It opened in 1981. This combined facility was named after Clyde Tombaugh. He lived in New Mexico and discovered Pluto.
In 1987, the museum's name changed to Space Center. This showed that it had more exhibits. In 2001, the name changed again. It became the New Mexico Museum of Space History, which it is today.
Images for kids
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A Lockheed X-7 on display in the outdoor park.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Historia Espacial de Nuevo México para niños
