United States Astronaut Hall of Fame facts for kids
The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame is a special place in Merritt Island, Florida. It's part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This Hall of Fame celebrates amazing American astronauts. It has the world's biggest collection of items from astronauts. You can see things like Wally Schirra's Sigma 7 space capsule. This capsule flew in space during the Mercury missions. You can also see the Gemini IX spacecraft. Gene Cernan and Thomas P. Stafford flew it in 1966.
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History of the Astronaut Hall of Fame
In the 1980s, some of the first American astronauts had an idea. They wanted a place to remember and honor US space travelers. It would be like other halls of fame for sports or music. The Mercury Seven Foundation helped make this happen. They still help run the Hall of Fame today.
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The Astronaut Hall of Fame first opened on October 29, 1990. It was next to the Florida branch of Space Camp.
In 2002, the Hall of Fame closed for a few months. Then, Delaware North Park Services bought it for NASA. It became part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The Hall of Fame opened again on December 14, 2002.
The Hall of Fame moved to a new location in 2015. It moved about 6 miles (9.7 km) east to the main Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Outside the old building, there was a full-size model of a Space Shuttle. It was called Inspiration. Visitors could not go inside this model. After the Hall of Fame moved, Inspiration was put into storage. It was later moved for a special educational tour.
Honoring Space Heroes: Inductees
Inductees are astronauts chosen for their great achievements. They are picked by a special committee. This group includes former NASA leaders, historians, and other space experts. They look at what astronauts did in space. They also look at how they helped space exploration. New astronauts are added almost every year since 2001.
In 1990, the first astronauts were added to the Hall of Fame. These were the original Mercury Seven astronauts. They were the first Americans in space. They also set many important records. Alan Shepard was the first American in space. He later walked on the Moon. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth. He even flew in space again at age 77! Gus Grissom was the first American to fly in space twice. He was also the commander of Apollo 1. Sadly, he and his crew lost their lives in a tragic accident during training.
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In 1993, thirteen more astronauts were added. They were from the Gemini and Apollo programs. This group included Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon. It also included Eugene Cernan, the last person to walk on the Moon. Ed White was also in this group. He was the first American to walk in space. He also died in the Apollo 1 accident. Jim Lovell commanded the famous Apollo 13 mission. John Young flew six times, including a moonwalk. He also commanded the first Space Shuttle mission.
The third group of astronauts was added in 1997. These were 24 more astronauts from Apollo, Skylab, and ASTP missions. Roger Chaffee was one of them. He was the third astronaut who died in the Apollo 1 fire. He is the only astronaut in the Hall who did not fly in space. Harrison Schmitt was the first scientist to walk on the Moon.
For the first three groups, all astronauts from the early programs were included. This included Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz. After these early programs, astronauts are chosen based on their special achievements. They are picked for their important contributions to human spaceflight.
More than 40 astronauts from the Space Shuttle program have been added since 2001. Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. Story Musgrave flew six missions. Francis Scobee commanded the final, ill-fated Challenger mission.
Recent inductees include Guion Bluford Jr. (2010), Sally Ride (2003), Kathryn Thornton (2010), Susan Helms (2011), Franklin Chang-Diaz (2012), Eileen Collins (2013), Shannon Lucid (2014), John Grunsfeld (2015), Scott E. Parazynski (2016), Ellen Ochoa (2017), Scott Altman (2018), Janet L. Kavandi (2019), Scott Kelly (2020), Sandra Magnus (2022), and Mark Kelly (2023).
Amazing Exhibits and Displays
The Hall of Heroes celebrates the inducted astronauts. You can see many cool things there. One display is Sigma 7. This Mercury spacecraft orbited Earth six times in 1962. It was flown by Wally Schirra. You can also see the Gemini 9A capsule. Gene Cernan and Thomas P. Stafford flew it in 1966. There's also an Astronaut Adventure room with fun simulators for kids.
You can also see the spacesuit worn by Gus Grissom. He wore it during his 1961 Liberty Bell 7 Mercury flight. There has been a discussion about who owns the spacesuit. Gus Grissom's family loaned it to the Hall of Fame when it first opened. After the Hall of Fame changed owners, the family asked for their items back. Most items were returned. But the spacesuit stayed because both NASA and the Grissom family believe it belongs to them.
Gallery
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Alan Shepard's Apollo 14 lunar space suit
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A replica of the Apollo 15 Genesis Rock
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A Gemini 7 G5C spacesuit
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A full-size model of a Space Shuttle orbiter that used to be next to the Hall of Fame
See also
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
- List of astronauts by year of selection for training
- Space Mirror Memorial
- US Space Walk of Fame
- International Space Hall of Fame
- List of aerospace museums
- North American aviation halls of fame
