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.

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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.

Spaceline Supporters

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

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.

Mission Complete

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.

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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.

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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.

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In Progress

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.

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

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

“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

“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

“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.

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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

Executive Director

Email Brenda

Call Brenda

Emily Pietrzyk

Assistant Director of
Donor & Alumni Relations

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