HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Course corrections are fairly common in space travel. This week, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center made an adjustment of its own as it plans for the future, reversing a decision announced earlier this month to end its participation in a consortium of science museums, the Association of Science and Technology Centers.
For years, the USSRC has participated in that organization's Reciprocal Membership Program. It provides USSRC members free admission to hundreds of other science-themed facilities, such as the Field Museum in Chicago, Perot Musem in Dallas, the USS Intrepid Museum in New York and the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kan.
Those with memberships to other participating organizations receive free general admission to the USSRC.
The exchange agreement has certain restrictions, including a 90-mile blackout zone around the member's residence and the "home science museum" they are associated with.
When it announced its decision not to renew its association with the ASTC program, the USSRC said it had become too expensive to administer.
Officials said savings could be applied to investments in the USSRC itself.
But the museum notified members in an email Wednesday that the decision had been reversed, citing the feedback it had received since the announcement.
"(A)fter reviewing responses from members, who are some of our most loyal supporters, we have chosen to maintain the program and explore alternative ways to balance our books as we continue to invest in the experiences here at the Rocket Center," Phil Jaeger, Vice President of Museum Operations, said.
The change would have taken effect at the end of October.
The full email shared with USSRC members follows.
Dear Members:
In response to feedback from you, our valued members, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center has reversed its decision to withdraw from the ASTC Reciprocal Membership Program.
We want to assure you that the initial decision to withdraw was not made lightly and came after extensive analysis and internal debate. However, after reviewing responses from members, who are some of our most loyal supporters, we have chosen to maintain the program and explore alternative ways to balance our books as we continue to invest in the experiences here at the Rocket Center.
As you know, we’ve been busy keeping our promises to return the rockets to a beautifully renovated Rocket Park and to replace Pathfinder Shuttle to its rightful perch atop our shuttle stack. Restoring our Rocket City Spaceline and similar investments have significantly enhanced Rocket Center offerings and promise to provide a more enriching experience to guests for years to come.
We invite you to join us in celebrating the return of the Shuttle Pathfinder on Thursday, October 24th, from 5 to 7:30 PM. This event marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to preserve and share the history of space exploration.
We're also focused on expanding our educational programs and interactive exhibits. The "Dare to Explore" exhibit, along with the in-progress Baron Weather exhibit and upcoming Mars Rovers exhibit, are just a few examples of our commitment to keeping the museum fresh and engaging. We're also working to bring back popular traveling exhibits to provide even more variety for our visitors.
Caring for the precious artifacts here and creating lasting memories for our visitors requires significant resources. We need the continued support of our patrons to make this possible. Thank you again for your candid feedback and understanding. We value your membership and look forward to serving our community for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Phil Jaeger
Vice President, Museum Operations
