Space Mirror Memorial facts for kids

The Space Mirror Memorial is a special place at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. It's part of the bigger Astronauts Memorial. This memorial honors brave men and women who died while working in space programs for the United States, especially those from NASA.

The memorial was opened on May 9, 1991. The United States Congress officially named it "the national memorial to astronauts who die in the line of duty."

The memorial includes 20 NASA astronauts. It also honors a United States Air Force test pilot, a U.S. Air Force officer, a civilian who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, and an Israeli astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

In 2019, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation decided to include private astronauts too. The first private astronaut added was Michael T. Alsbury, who died in a SpaceShipTwo crash in 2014. His name was added on January 25, 2020.

What Makes Up the Memorial?

Two panels show the names of the crew of STS-107's Space Shuttle Columbia

The main part of the memorial is the Space Mirror. It's a huge, shiny black granite wall, about 42.5 feet tall and 50 feet wide. It's made of 90 smaller panels.

The names of the 25 astronauts who have died are carved right through the mirror. Behind the names, there's a special material that glows with LED lights. This makes the names look like they are floating in the sky. Names of astronauts who died in the same accident are grouped together.

Near the Space Mirror, there's another granite wall. It has pictures and short stories about the people listed on the mirror. Wes Jones designed the Space Mirror Memorial after winning a worldwide design contest.

The Sun-Tracking System That Stopped Working

When the memorial was first built, it had special motors. These motors were supposed to move the mirror to follow the Sun across the sky. The idea was that sunlight would shine through the names and make them glow brightly. If there wasn't enough sun, floodlights would help.

But in 1997, the tracking system broke. It caused part of the monument to hit a steel beam. Repairs were made, but then it broke again later.

Fixing the system would have cost a lot of money, about $700,000. The Astronauts Memorial Foundation decided it was better to use that money for educational programs instead. So, they just moved the floodlights. Now, the lights stay on 24 hours a day to keep the memorial glowing.

How the Memorial Is Paid For

The Space Mirror Memorial cost $6.2 million to build.

Part of the money for the memorial comes from special license plates in Florida. These plates are called the Challenger plate. They were first made in 1987. In 2004, the plate was updated to include Columbia and is now called the Challenger/Columbia plate. These license plates help raise money for the memorial and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation.

Some money also comes from special Apollo 11 Fiftieth Anniversary commemorative coins.

Honoring Brave Space Explorers

The memorial honors people who died during space missions or while training for them in the United States.

Here are some of the people honored on the memorial:

• Theodore Freeman died in a training accident in a T-38 Talon jet on October 31, 1964.
• Elliot See and Charles Bassett died in a T-38 accident on February 28, 1966. Their plane crashed into a building in foggy weather.
• Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee died in a fire inside the Apollo 1 capsule on January 27, 1967. This happened during a test on the ground.
• Clifton Williams died in a T-38 training crash on October 5, 1967. He was supposed to be on the crew of Apollo 12.
• Michael J. Adams died in an X-15 crash on November 15, 1967. He reached a high altitude, earning him an astronaut badge.
• Robert H. Lawrence Jr. died on December 8, 1967, in a plane crash. He was part of a military space program.
• On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after launch. All seven crew members died: Francis "Dick" Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, and Christa McAuliffe. Christa McAuliffe was a teacher who was part of the mission.
• M. L. "Sonny" Carter died on April 5, 1991, in a plane crash while traveling for NASA.
• On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart when it returned to Earth. This happened because of damage it got during launch. All seven crew members died: Rick Husband, William C. McCool, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael P. Anderson, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon. Ilan Ramon was a pilot from Israel.
• On October 31, 2014, SpaceShipTwo broke apart during a flight. Co-pilot Michael T. Alsbury died.

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation helps maintain the memorial and runs educational programs.

Thad Altman became the President and CEO of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation in August 2012.

Images for kids

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  Space Mirror Memorial

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  Space Mirror Dedication

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  The Dignity Memorial

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  The Space Mirror at sunset