The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame will soon be moved to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. It will become a brand new featured attraction to be called “Heroes and Legends.” The Astronaut Hall of Fame is currently located about seven miles west of the space center.
The new Heroes and Legends display and interactive attraction will be constructed right in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. 25 astronauts were on hand Friday, May 29 to help break ground for the start of the relocation project.
Astronaut Hall of Fame Relocation to Recreate Atmosphere of Space for Visitors
The new Heroes and Legends attraction is planned in a way so that the visitors will move through a section of rooms designed to make them feel as if they are actually gliding in space. The building will include features such as a 360-degree video and audio presentation, as well as holograms and virtual reality exhibitions of selected astronauts’ experiences. There will also be exciting special effects in the 3D theater and other high-tech interactive adventures for guests.
The relocation is also meant to give guests a taste of the bravery that all of the astronauts shared. The project is anticipated to premiere 2016, but so far there has been no mention of the financial plan for the new center.
Original Astronaut Hall of Fame Has Been Around For 25 Years
The current Astronaut Hall of Fame building and displays have been there for 25 years, and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has been in charge of its maintenance and ownership since 2000. Currently, there are 87 astronauts in the Astronaut Hall of Fame, including greats like John Glenn and Jim Lovell, as well as Neil Armstrong (among the first humans to land on the moon) and Alan Shepard, the first man to play golf on the moon.
Astronaut Hall of Fame Adding More Members
Four more astronauts are set to join this prestigious group for the Astronaut Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary. They will include: John Grunsfeld, who was part of five space shuttle missions; Steven Lindsey, who also had five shuttle missions and more than 1,500 hours in space; Kent Rominger, who has had five missions and over 1,600 hours of space travel; and M. Rhea Seddon, one of the first women to join NASA.
The new interactive display is meant to honor the astronauts, but it also will give guests a better understanding of how the astronauts lived, worked and breathed during space travel.
