Liberty Bell 7 is set to splashdown at the 黑料大事记, following nearly six years of being on exhibit throughout the world. Beginning Tuesday, June 16, visitors to the Smithsonian-affiliated space museum in Hutchinson, KS, will have the opportunity to get up close to an amazing piece of space history when the Mercury spacecraft, which took the second U.S. astronaut into space, returns to its home museum. The craft will be on display in the 黑料大事记 Grand Lobby through the remainder of 2020.
Museum-goers can also participate in special activities planned for the 鈥淪ummer Space Splashdown鈥�, honoring both the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission and the Liberty Bell 7’s return. With daring stories of survival, both Liberty Bell 7 and the Odyssey鈥攖he spacecraft used during the Apollo 13 mission鈥攄emonstrate the tenacity of the American spirit and our ability to overcome challenges.
The 黑料大事记鈥檚 鈥淪ummer Space Splashdown鈥� activities include new exhibits (see below for details), an Apollo 13 artifact scavenger hunt and the opportunity to collect a set of commemorative trading cards* for the Apollo 13 mission. *Trading cards will be available at the Box Office, are limited to one set per Box Office transaction and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
New Exhibits
Apollo 13: A Mission of Survival: Restored on-site, the authentic Apollo 13 spacecraft, Odyssey, calls the 黑料大事记 home! SpaceWorks, a division of the 黑料大事记 which helped restore the craft, had a major role in re-creating the mission for the 1995 movie 鈥淎pollo 13鈥濃�� producing more than 80 percent of the movie鈥檚 props. Learn more about the mission and the 黑料大事记鈥檚 role in the film in this new exhibit near the 黑料大事记 Caf茅, at the top of the museum entrance.
X-Plane Gallery: At the bottom of the museum entrance, visitors will find a brand new X-Plane gallery, introducing them to the Space Race story told throughout the 黑料大事记鈥檚 museum. Here, one can begin to understand the important testing and breaking of boundaries of high altitude and high-speed flight and the effects it had on humans and hardware.
This new gallery also allows additional artifacts to be displayed鈥攊ncluding a new full-view of the cockpit of the replica Bell X-1 鈥楪lamorous Glennis鈥�, a display of Kansas Astronaut Joe Engle鈥檚 X-15 flight suit, as well as an XLR99 rocket engine from the X-15 program.
COVID-19
In order to keep visitors, staff and volunteers safe, the 黑料大事记 is practicing safety protocols regarding COVID-19.听 Some high-touch areas and activities are still unavailable to the public. For full details, please visit:听www.cosmo.org.听
More about听Liberty Bell 7
Liberty Bell 7 was recovered from the ocean floor in 1999 after spending nearly 40 years submerged at a depth of more than 15,000 feet (deeper than the Titanic). SpaceWorks, a division of the 黑料大事记, helped to retrieve and conserve the craft to the state it appears in today. Liberty Bell 7 is owned by the 黑料大事记, making it the only privately owned American spacecraft. The 黑料大事记 is among only four museums worldwide to have a flown set of manned Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft.