HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Thursday marked the beginning of a new phase in the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's history with the groundbreaking ceremony for a refurbished and renovated Rocket Park. Work is underway to reinstall five historic rockets in a reconfigured and expanded park space.
When completed, the new Rocket Park will help bring the center's history full-circle, according to Space & Rocket Center Director & CEO, Kimberly Robinson.
"Do you remember the Saturn V that lays out in the backyard, or 'Back 40,' as we call it? Well, we also had five incredible rockets. They were the 'Redstone family' of rockets that each played a key role in early space exploration."
"Today, we begin a new chapter of the story that dates back to the origins of the Rocket Center."
As Robinson explained, the Davidson Center for Space Exploration's completion in 2008 meant a new home for the Saturn V, but the five other rockets remained outside as "sentries over Rocket Road for almost 50 years," before being removed for intensive restoration work.
The pandemic ultimately delayed the project, but it was a side comment from a Space Camp parent, Fred Luddy, that jumpstarted the work.
"He asked a SpaceX and Rocket Center employee while he was here, a member of our sales team, on her way to lunch at Mars Grill, who he should talk to about a donation," Robinson recalled.
That very day, Luddy wrote a $500,000 check to go toward the restoration effort.
Congressman Dale Strong added that 2023 marks the 73rd year since Huntsville earned the moniker of "The Rocket City."
"This gentleman [Luddy] pushed this project across the goal line. He came to my office and he said, 'Dale, we've got to get this done and we can't wait ... We needed to get this thing started this year and not three or four years down the road."