Stellar Space Center
Marcy Marro,
Posted
06/01/2008
The Davidson
Center for Space Exploration at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
in Huntsville, Ala., opened on Jan. 31, 50 years to the day after
the launch of America's first satellite, Explorer 1. More than
1,400 dignitaries and guests, including Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin,
Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter and Apollo 13 commander Jim
Lovell, attended the grand opening gala event.
The 77,000-square-foot (7,153-m2) building is 476 by 90 by 64 feet
(145 by 27 by 20 m) and houses the visitor ticketing area, a
350-seat auditorium, a grand open stair with skylight, the Saturn V
rocket and some related exhibits. A large exterior plaza is
centered around a stand-up replica of the Saturn V.
The 426-foot (130-m) display of the Saturn V rocket is one of the
three remaining rockets, which has been stored on-site for 35
years. The two other Saturn V rockets are at the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"Just about
everything related to the overall building design centers on the
display of the rocket," said Jeff Miller, senior project architect
for Gresham, Smith and Partners, Birmingham, Ala. "The sheer size
of the rocket alone makes the building monumental, so the building
was designed as a background but with its own distinct visual
homage to the Apollo space program."
Approximately 85,000 square feet (7,897 m2) of CF42 Light Mesa wall
panels by Metl-Span Ltd., Lewisville, Texas, were used in the
design of the center. To provide a visual contrast to the gleaming
Saturn V lunar rocket vehicle on display inside the new $22 million
facility, the 2 1/2-inch (64-mm) insulated panels were finished
with Polar White on the exterior and custom Matte Black on the
interior. The Matte Black interior finish provides good visual
effects for the rocket display, which is primarily white with red
and yellow components and accents.
"A great advantage
of the Metl-Span panels is that we were able to clad the building,
insulate it, and have both the exterior and interior finishes in
one application," Miller said.
The first and second stages of the Saturn V display are
pedestal-mounted with the third stage, instrument ring, lunar
module section and service module, and command module/escape tower
suspended from the building structure. This dramatic display is
surrounded by 17,000 square feet (1,579 m2) of curtainwall glass
facing north, providing a unique view into the building for
motorists traveling on the adjacent I-565 highway.
USSRC opened in 1970 and is NASA's first visitor center. Since then
it has served more than 12 million visitors. As the Official
Visitor Information Center for the Marshall Space Flight Center,
USSRC is committed to educating the public and students who attend
SPACE CAMP about the work being done at MSFC. A particular focus is
in the area of propulsion, where MSFC has made significant
contributions in the Apollo and shuttle programs and is again on
the forefront with the Ares rockets.
Completion of the Davidson Center is the first stage in an USSRC
plan to better show-case NASA and MSFC contributions to historical,
current and future space exploration.
The Davidson Center for Space Exploration is named after Dr. Julian
Davidson, who spearheaded the Army's ballistic missile defense
program and founded Davidson Technologies. A donation by Davidson
and his wife, Dorothy, to complete the Saturn V display helps pay
tribute to all the Alabama engineers who have worked in area
missile and space programs.
For more information about the Davidson Center, go to
www.spacecamp.com
www.spacecamp.com.