KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (April 2012) - Some of the names are embedded in the American psyche like few other modern-day figures:  Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Sally Ride.  They along with more than 70 other space pioneers have earned their way into American history by daring to dream big, working with determination and embracing the unknown in the line of duty.  Their stories, from manned space programs Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle, are accessible to the world at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, part of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Equal parts illumination and exhilaration, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame shares the human story behind space travel in a heretofore-unprecedented fashion, with the largest collection of astronaut artifacts and mementos ever assembled.  Among the thousands of artifacts donated from astronauts' personal collections:  Gordon Cooper's May 15, 1969 TV cue cards inscribed "I'm go for 22," Jim Lovell's boy scout handbook, Gus Grissom's Mercury 7 flight suit and helmet, Buzz Aldrin's high school football jersey, and Alan Shepard's MR 3 umbilical plug, his last physical link to Earth during the first U.S. manned spaceflight aboard Freedom 7.  Also on display are astronaut journals to be read and recordings of countdowns to be heard.  Complementing this expansive collection is the Mercury Sigma 7 capsule flown by Wally Schirra in 1962.

Honoring the latest chapter in America's manned space program is Space Shuttle: The Astronaut Experiences. Through the astronauts' testimonials, unique personal experiences and more than 60 authentic artifacts, the space shuttle exhibit creates a personal connection with visitors, bringing to life the enduring stories of the space shuttle men and women honored in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

The newest addition at the Astronaut Hall of Fame is Science On a Sphere, a global display that takes visitors on a three-dimensional journey around the world and throughout the solar system via dynamic, animated images of the atmosphere, oceans and planets. The sphere provides guests with a representation of a view of the Earth and planets as if they were viewed from space.

About Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. Closing times vary by season.  Admission includes the Kennedy Space Center Tour, Shuttle Launch Experience, 3D IMAX® space films, Astronaut Encounter, Exploration Space: Explorers Wanted and all exhibits. Admission also includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®, featuring historic spacecraft and the world's largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia, open from noon until 6:00 p.m. daily. Parking, wheelchairs, strollers and pet kennels are free of charge. Admission is $45 + tax for adults and $35 + tax for children ages 3-11. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Commander's Club Annual Pass is $58 + tax for adults and $48 + tax for children ages 3-11.  For more information, call 877-313-2610 or visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is operated by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts at KSC, Inc., a division of Delaware North Companies, one of the world's leading hospitality and food service providers. For more information, visit www.experiencednc.com.

About the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®: 

In 1984, the Mercury Seven Foundation was established by the six surviving members of America's original Mercury astronauts and Mrs. Betty Grissom, widow of the seventh, to preserve the United States' leadership role in science and technology by providing scholarships to outstanding college science and engineering students. Later, they envisioned a site, like the Baseball or Football Halls of Fame, where space travelers could be remembered. Their dream was realized with the opening in 1990 of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.  The Foundation broadened its membership to include astronauts from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs and changed its name in 1995 to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. 

The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame was acquired by NASA and Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, which operates the Visitor Complex on behalf of NASA, in December 2002.  Under an agreement with Delaware North, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation serves as a consultant in the operation of the Hall of Fame, which includes supervising the selection of astronauts to the hall.

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