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U.S. Space & Rocket Center

U.S. Space & Rocket Center is a museum in Alabama, at a modelled elevation of 208 m. Monte Sano Mountain stands 494 m to the east-northeast, 8.4 miles off. The nearest named place is Saturn I, a attraction 0.1 miles away.

The story

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is a museum operated by the government of Alabama, showcasing rockets, achievements, and artifacts of the U.S. space program. Sometimes billed as "Earth's largest space museum", astronaut Owen Garriott described the place as, "a great way to learn about space in a town that has embraced the space program from the very beginning." The center opened in 1970, just after the Apollo 12 Moon landing, the second crewed mission to the lunar surface. It showcases Apollo Program hardware, including the Apollo 16 capsule, and also houses interactive science exhibits, Space Shuttle exhibits, and Army rocketry and aircraft. With more than 1,500 permanent rocketry and space exploration artifacts, as well as many rotating rocketry and space-related exhibits, the center occupies land carved out of Redstone Arsenal adjacent to Huntsville Botanical Garden at exit 15 on Interstate 565. The center offered bus tours of nearby NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Two camp programs offer visitors the opportunity to stay on the grounds to learn more about spaceflight and aviation. U.S. Space Camp gives an in-depth exposure to the space program through participant use of simulators, lectures, and training exercises. Aviation Challenge offers a taste of military fighter pilot training, including simulations, lectures, and survival exercises. Both camps provide residential and day camp educational programs for children and adults.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q4347952, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Height
12 m

What to expect

Official site

How to reach it

Coordinates34.71147, -86.65406

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Parks
  • Forrest Park: 1.1 mi
  • ACE Recreational Park: 1.4 mi
  • Metro Kiwanis Sportsplex: 1.5 mi
  • Pine Park: 1.9 mi
  • Vincent Park: 2.3 mi
Attractions: 43
  • Saturn I: 0.1 mi
  • V 1: 0.1 mi
  • Space Shuttle: 0.1 mi
  • Tandem-Compound Turbine Rotor: 0.1 mi
  • Apollo 11: 0.1 mi
Historic sites: 23
  • UAH Stone Geode: 1.4 mi
  • Cummings Research Park Lake Obelisk: 1.7 mi
  • Centennial Square: 3.0 mi
  • Buffalo Soldiers Memorial: 3.1 mi
  • The Burger Factory: 3.4 mi
Artworks: 22
  • Eternal Flame: 3.1 mi
  • Eggbeater Jesus: 3.8 mi
  • SkyLume: 3.8 mi
  • Travelers II: 3.9 mi
  • Travelers: 4.0 mi
Cliffs: 22
Museums: 16
Springs: 13
  • Brahan Spring: 3.1 mi
  • Big Spring: 4.1 mi
  • Betts Spring: 4.5 mi
  • Byrd Spring: 5.2 mi
  • The Spring House: 6.1 mi
Picnic sites: 8
  • Pavilion 1: 3.1 mi
  • Pavilion 10: 3.1 mi
  • Pavilion 11: 3.1 mi
  • Pavilion 9: 3.1 mi
  • Pavilion 7: 3.2 mi
Nature reserves: 5
  • Dallas W. Fanning Nature Preserve: 6.3 mi
  • Mill Creek Nature Preserve: 6.4 mi
  • Dallas W. Fanning Nature Preserve: 6.6 mi
  • Bethel Spring Nature Preserve: 18.0 mi
  • Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge: 19.5 mi
Beaches: 1
  • Talucah Beach: 10.3 mi
Waterfalls: 1
  • Waterfall: 11.0 mi
Rest areas: 1
  • Rocket Rest Area: 21.6 mi
Ghost towns: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 14.5 miles of U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Monte Sano MountainENE 74°494 m8.4 mi
Chestnut KnobE 85°490 m10.0 mi
Round Top MountainE 86°483 m6.5 mi
Logan PointENE 71°481 m8.8 mi
Huntsville MountainESE 109°476 m8.3 mi
Sand PointE 95°463 m7.3 mi
Wade MountainNNE 16°455 m7.6 mi
Drake MountainE 99°440 m10.5 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox06:5118:2518:59
June solstice05:3519:2620:04
September equinox06:3518:1218:45
December solstice06:5116:0116:40

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F434754637179818175645346
Precip in5.05.15.44.94.74.14.53.53.53.64.35.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Huntsville Intnl AP, 9 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element way/477340414

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