New Mexico Museum of Space History
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The New Mexico Museum of Space History, which includes the International Space Hall of Fame, sits on the western face of the Sacramento Mountains in the city of Alamogordo, New Mexico in the United States. The Museum of Space History is one of eight museums administered by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
To the west, the building overlooks Alamogordo, the White Sands National Monument, Holloman Air Force Base, White Sands Missile Range and the Jornada del Muerto. Framing this scene on the west horizon stand the Organ Mountains, behind which lies the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico. To the east of the building lies the pine forested Lincoln National Forest (where the towns of Cloudcroft and Ruidoso are located), which borders the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation.
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[edit] Exhibits
The museum contains samples of booster rockets and nose cones. It also includes exhibits about the planets of the Solar System, space flight and the primates that were used in early space flight experiments conducted by the United States.
In 2008, the NMMSH will open a new public resource. The "Center for Space Research," which is the Designated Repository for Spaceport America Archives, will include archives and a library. The center will become the nation's only publicly accessible archive related to space history and research.
[edit] Grave of Ham, the first chimpanzee in space
Ham, the world's first astrochimp, was trumpeted by the United States as "the first free creature in outer space". He blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 31, 1961, and traveled 155 miles in 16.5 minutes before splashing down safely into the Atlantic Ocean.
His remains were entombed at the International Space Hall of Fame in 1983 upon his death at the age of 27.
[edit] See also
List of inductees in the International Space Hall of Fame
[edit] Further Reading
- Hallmark, Howard (2008). The New Mexico Museum of Space History: A Short History. Alamogordo, NM: International Space Hall of Fame Foundation.
