fbpx
Skip to main content

Rocket Center friends and supporters joined U.S. Space & Rocket Center CEO Dr. Kimberly Robinson (center) for Rocket Park groundbreaking. Also pictured: Joseph Pelfrey, John Nerger, Wes Kelley, Commission Chairman Mac McCutcheon, U.S. Representative Dale Strong, Dr. Rick Chappell, and Brooks Moore.

Campaign Progress
$45,879,571

Raised to date in gifts, pledges, and stocks.

Our Campaign
Blasts Off

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center opened in 1970 in a medium-sized Alabama town as a showcase for the U.S. Space Program and a community attraction. In the beginning it was similar to thousands of museums and science centers across this country. However, the Rocket Center achieved a global reputation for excellence in STEM education and today is a workforce development and public relations asset for the State of Alabama and for the United States.

After 54 years of educating and entertaining visitors from all over the world, the Rocket Center shows signs of wear. It needs more than fresh paint. Today’s tech-savvy visitors look for cutting-edge immersive experiences. The Center’s educational programs must be enhanced to better prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce.

That is why the U.S. Space & Rocket Center launched the capital campaign, Make Space for Tomorrow.

We hope that you share our vision to enhance the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. You can be a part of ensuring that this magical place — that is built on a solid STEM foundation — can continue to educate and inspire for generations to come.

Ways to Give

Donate

It’s easy to support the Capital Campaign with a one-time or monthly gift by credit card.

Donate Today

Pathfinder Puzzle

Become a part of history through the Space Shuttle Pathfinder Puzzle program.

Read more

Spaceline Supporters

Claim your spot in Rocket Part by naming a support beam for one of the 5 historic rockets.

Read more

Take a Seat

Add your name or the name of a loved one to a bench or auditorium chair with the Take a Seat program.

Read more

The Projects

Mission Complete

The Space Camp Operations Center sponsored by Boeing.

Space Camp Operations Center

The doors of our newest building swung wide to welcome excited campers this summer. The award-winning design features a 3D printed lunar landscape and serves as an impressive new front door for Space Camp programs. The 40,600 square-foot center showcases the latest technology, including a cyber range for simulating threats and responses. Engineers, scientists, inventors, and leaders of the future are already immersed in topics from propulsion and advanced manufacturing to robotics and avionics.
Learn more
Brenda Carr, Dr. Kimberly Robinson, and Fred Luddy

Rocket Park

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center cut the ribbon July 18, 2024, on a transformed Rocket Park in a ceremony attended by more than 250 guests. All five historic rockets that were removed more than three years ago are freshly restored and have joined the Saturn I in a completely reimagined Rocket Park. Native plantings, trees, and lush grassy areas surround more than 65 years of space exploration vehicles including Jupiter, Jupiter-C, Juno II, Army Redstone, Mercury Redstone, and a brand new addition, a section of the powerful Space Launch System that is returning us to the moon. The impressive new park also boasts an outdoor amphitheater and a stunning memorial to the men and women of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, without whom none of these rockets would be possible.

Learn more

Space Shuttle Pathfinder

The Space Shuttle Pathfinder features a new shell that is formed with 516 pieces that were 3D printed, mounted to the test artifact’s steel armature, and coated to replicate the flown appearance of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. In addition to constructing an orbiter shell, the project included restoring the solid rocket boosters and external tank. To create a finish as space age as the printing process, we’re brought in experts whose resumes include projects for Disney and Universal studios.

Learn more

In Progress

Inspiration4 building exterior design

Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex

Space Camp and its sister programs, Aviation Challenge, Cyber Camp, and Robotics, constitute the planet’s largest and longest running residential STEM camp. Holding onto the top slot means never standing still. We’re constantly reinventing camp programs to bring the very latest and best immersive experiences to our trainees. That’s probably why so many come back year after year. Jared and Monica Isaacman share our vision to inspire and prepare students to design and engineer a bright future for all of us. The 40-thousand square foot training complex, named after the first all-civilian astronaut crew, will house the latest in mission simulation technology and physical challenge courses to deliver the most authentic and immersive astronaut and pilot training experiences available. There’s no more inspiring environment in which to explore STEM frontiers.
Interior of a refreshed hab unit

Habitats Upgrades

Our habitats are a true extension of camp experiences and a key means by which we transmit the authenticity of our training. We’re upgrading our habitats and adapting them to the missions of the future. We’re taking design cues from the mission floor to align trainees’ experiences inside the habitats with the training they receive outside. Habitats are home to trainees while they’re here and a critical component of mission success.

Davidson Center Updates

The Davidson Center for Space Exploration is home to the Saturn V rocket, Smithsonian’s largest artifact and the most recognizable icon of our center and the Apollo era. The Davidson Center is visible from Huntsville’s main expressway and is as much a defining fixture for locals as the one-to-one scale rocket model just outside. Planned updates will refresh and modernize the building’s design while enhancing energy efficiency, guest experience, and artifact preservation. A grand new entrance befitting the stories told inside will also tie the Davidson Center into a cohesive complex of buildings and exhibits.

Upcoming

Proposed Connector Building

The Bridge

Speaking of a cohesive complex, we’re planning a connector building to create a physical link between our main Rocket Center exhibit halls and galleries. The new space will expand capacity for workforce development programming and experiential technology curriculum. The architecturally stunning space will also serve as a focal point framing our impressive rockets and bridging inside and outside spaces with sparkling walls of glass. In another sense, The Bridge will serve as our command center and connection point with visitors where the surroundings create a first impression that reflects the scale and gravity of the history we celebrate.

Habitat 4

Our mission compels us to reach as many children as we can and our camp programs consistently sell out during the summer. The Space Camp Operations Center and the Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex increase our capacity for camp programing and education. Habitat 4 will expand our capacity to make the most of those facilities and serve more trainees. Design concepts are forthcoming, but Habitat 4 creates an opportunity for Space Camp to feature some of the design, engineering, and construction solutions that will support ongoing human space exploration.

On the Horizon

Shuttle Pavilion

As the Pathfinder Shuttle reclaims its perch atop the external tank and solid rocket boosters, our teams are beginning design work on a new, comprehensive exhibit to house the complete shuttle story.

Aquatics Center

The Inspiration4 building is designed with expansion in mind, including an indoor aquatics training center to build upon and expand the programming we’ve already designed around our outdoor lake complex.

Centrifuge Trainer

Another expansion opportunity presented by the Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex is the return of centrifuge training experiences which would incorporate augmented reality for immersive mission experiences.

Campaign Co-Chairs

Rey Almodóvar
Huntsville, AL
CEO Emeritus, Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation
Karen Brukardt
De Pere, WI

Retired Legislative Liaison, Tennessee Right to Life

Danielle DeLuca Casarotto
Salt Lake City, UT
Senior Executive Officer, The Allen Foundation
Tim Sheehy
Bozeman, MT

Founder, Bridger Aerospace

Mike Wicks
Huntsville, AL
CEO, Diakonos Oncology Corporation

Jared Isaacman

Astronaut, Inspiration4 & Polaris Dawn
“Space Camp might be located in Huntsville Alabama, but it is an asset for the entire nation. As we think about the competitiveness of our nation, there is no better place to expose our future leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs than to the institution in Huntsville. Highlights include a Space and Rocket Center, an aviation program, a robotics program and a cyber program, all critical disciplines of tomorrow.”
Myron Fletcher, Co-Founder and CEO, Rocket With The Fletchers

Myron Fletcher

Co-Founder and CEO, Rocket With The Fletchers
“I remember it like it was yesterday when we arrived there on buses from Arkansas. The first thing I saw was the Saturn V, and I remember thinking to myself how could we build something so massive. I wondered how I could be a part of a program that builds the next frontier to space. It was Space Camp that sparked a dream that ultimately became a reality. I am now living my dreams!”
Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Retired NASA Astronaut

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger

Retired NASA Astronaut

“In April of 1990, when I attended Space Academy, it impacted my life in several ways: First, I had a week where I was surrounded by peers who were just as excited about space and space exploration as I was. As a teenager, that in itself can be life-changing. Second, that week provided authentic experiences (simulations, tours, and lectures) where I could imagine myself taking the next steps required to having a career at NASA. Finally, as I was leaving camp, I purchased a model of the space shuttle Discovery. That month, April 1990, Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope in its payload bay. I went home and built the model to remind me of my experiences and to inspire me to keep working towards my goal and dream. I would later use Hubble imagery in my astronomy classroom to inspire my students.”

Dr. Michelle Christensen, Senior Manager Flight Operations, Blue Origin

Dr. Michelle Christensen

Senior Manager Flight Operations, Blue Origin
“I remember getting to camp and meeting these kids from all over the world.” If her little brother hadn’t gotten sick on a trip to Disney World, Dr. Michelle Christensen might not be building rocket engines for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Her dad took 5-year-old Michelle to Kennedy Space Center for the day, and she remembers standing under a Redstone rocket and staring at the engine. She wanted to know how it worked. Her parents looked for every opportunity to encourage their daughter’s interests, and at 14, she flew across the country to Space Camp for the first time.

    Thank You to Our Campaign Donors

    Email us if you have a correction to this list.

    Email Us

    State of Alabama

    Allen Foundation Trust

    Rey and Cynthia Almodóvar, RAC Fund

    Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

    M. David Azbell

    Jo Anne Barnhart

    Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama

    The Boeing Company

    Bradley

    Gary Brukardt Family Foundation

    Ryan Brukardt

    Edward and Gayle Buckbee

    Waymon E. Burke

    Frank and Lisa Caprio

    Brenda Maynor Carr

    Bert Carson, TREB Productions

    William (Ben) Chandler

    Jim Chandler

    Dr. Charles (Rick) Chappell

    Michelle Christensen

    The Daniel Foundation of Alabama

    Erica Endicott and Chris Heisel

    Greg Fasking

    Major General Barbara G. Fast

    Joe Fitzgerald

    Eve L. Garriott

    Captain Robert (Hoot) Gibson

    Arthur (Gene) E. Goldman

    Dr. Gretchen Green

    Christopher Griffith 

    Jacobs

    Homer and Linda Hickam

    David and Rebecca Hitt

    Scott Hunter

    Huntsville Utilities

    Philip Jaeger

    Wes and Sundown Kelley

    Rebecca Torzone Kustom

    Robert and Mindy La Branche

    Derrik Landman

    Frederick M. Lanier

    Colonel Roosevelt J. Lewis, Jr.

    The Lioce Group

    Lockheed Martin

    Fred B. Luddy Family Foundation, Inc.

    Madison County Legislative Delegation

    Theresa Maglio

    Robert and Pamela Mayes

    Arthur C. Meier II 

    National Space Club of Huntsville

    James (Craig) Naudain

    Dr. Joyce Neighbors *

    John B. Nerger

    Marie and Joe Newberry

    Diane O’Keefe

    Senator Arthur Orr

    Brenda Perez

    Walter Connally Powell, Jr. Foundation

    Poarch Band of Creek Indians

    Louie and Corrine Ramirez

    Joe Ritch

    Dr. Kimberly and Keith Robinson

    General Jim and Reba Rogers

    Samford-Cannon Foundation

    Jeff Samz

    Representative Howard Sanderford

    Sasha and Charlie Sealy

    Matt Sheehy/The Sheehy Family

    Tim Sheehy/The Sheehy Family

    Jerry and Nancy Smith

    Robin and Marty Soprano

    Sissy and Greg Spence

    Mark Splawn

    Jack and Becky Stokes

    Dr. Kay Taylor

    Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

    Kathi and Norm Tew

    Helen Wagster

    Phil and Lisa Williams Foundation

    Harry Winer

    Dr. Virginia (Suzy) Young

    Tony Zana

    * Deceased

    Contact us to learn how you can help support the growth of Space Camp and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

    Brenda Carr

    Brenda Carr

    Executive Director
    Email Brenda
    Call Brenda
    Emily Pietrzyk

    Emily Pietrzyk

    Assistant Director of
    Donor & Alumni Relations
    Email Emily
    Call Emily