The Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum located in Keystone Heights, Florida, is about to take in its next big space relic. The dome of the Air Force telescoping station is all that is left of a NASA project that took place approximately 45 years ago. It was part of a joint effort between the United States Air Force and NASA to help maintain communications while a space mission was underway. The 45th Space Wing was in charge of the communications network that was located at Patrick Air Force Base.
The plan is to have the new space-age relic moved to the museum fairly soon. Volunteers have offered to help disassemble and then reassemble the dome upon its arrival at its new home. The adventure that this relic took to end up in the hands of the Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum is quite fascinating. The North Brevard Historical Society actually had it first, since they took ownership of it and then brought the pieces from their original location to Titusville. What happened after is that the society realized that their citizens did not want them to hang on to the piece, so they sent it back to its original spot in Melbourne two years later.
The Melbourne Beach Town Commission had an important decision to make when looking at the fate of this space relic. They ended up choosing to discontinue the project to reassemble and reclaim the dome as their own and so this unique part of our space history was in jeopardy. The Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum then stood up and said that they would like to add it to their space collection, adding that it is a valued part of our history and should not simply be discarded.
The Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum was able to take possession of the relic and will be its new home for many years to come.
This ensures that everyone who wants to see it can do so, and that many generations from now, children and adults alike will be able to see and learn from this unique part of our history. The Museum is also home to many other space artifacts, such as dehydrated food used for astronauts, a Hubble mock-up, and even the Apollo Horizon sensor system. It is quite the attraction for space enthusiasts. It is very fortunate that this unique dome that served such a great purpose in its former life, will continue to be cherished and appreciated as a valued part of the United States’ space history and NASA’s legacy.
