Air Force museum
bringing history
of rocketry to life
By Lloyd Campbell
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum and separate History
Center located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, provide a unique
look back at past space adventures, hardware, and facilities.
You’ll find the entrance to the History Center just outside the main
entrance of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The History Center, located just off the parking lot provides visitors with information r egarding each of the cape’s pads, both retired and active, including what type of vehicles launched from
them, what missions, and other fun facts about each complex.
Admission to the History Center is free.
There is a lot of history represented in the center. Many important unmanned launches occurred at Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, including the launch of the first American satellite,
Explorer 1 on January 31st, 1958 from Launch Complex 26. All the
manned Mercury missions launched from Cape Canaveral with
the two sub-orbital flights launching from Launch Complex 5/6
and the four orbital flights launching from Launch Complex 14. In
addition, all 10 manned Gemini missions launched from Launch
Complex 19 at Cape Canaveral. Finally, Apollo 7 launched from
Launch Complex 34 on the first manned Apollo flight.
Currently in use are Launch Complexes 37, 40, and 41 and
information about those facilities and the vehicles currently
launching from them is also available in the history center.
Also located in the History Center you’ll find numerous artifacts
including an Atlas rocket booster engine built by Rocketdyne, a
Minuteman Reentry vehicle, a Jupiter nosecone, a Titan I second
stage rocket engine, a Mercury Capsule boilerplate, a Launch
Complex 19 Titan test console and many more interesting artifacts.
You’ll normally find one of the dedicated volunteers there who
will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the
museum or its artifacts.
Don’t forget to check out the gift shop!
Another part of the Air Force Space and Missile Museum is located within the confines of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
This includes the museum itself and a number of the launch pads
used in the early days of space exploration. The Air Force used
to provide a tour to those areas once a week, unfortunately the
budget sequestration of 2013 cut the funding for that tour and it
was never restored.
However you can still see those other areas, and more via an
add-on tour available from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor
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