The Wandering Disciple

A construction helmet adorned by the Space Shuttle Columbia pays tribute to the men and women who helped build the space shuttle program for NASA. The workhorse of NASA, the space shuttle provided a way to transport crew and cargo into space. The vision began during the Apollo program and began taking shape in 1968. A prototype "Enterprise" was completed by Rockwell International in 1974. By 1981, the program was ready for the first manned launch with "Columbia". With a total of five space shuttles, the program conducted 135 missions until its final flight in July 2011 with "Atlantis".   This display was part of the history of the space shuttle exhibit found at the US Astronaut Hall of Fame. Located just across the river from the Kennedy Space Center, the museum told the story of the space program and its heroes both in the spacecraft and on the ground. This location is now closed however many of the exhibits have been relocated to Heroes & Lege...

Honoring those who boldly go where no man goes.  That is the premise behind the US Astronauts Hall of Fame outside the Kennedy Space Center. Here you can pay tribute to the pioneer astronauts instrumental to the nation's space program and see some of the iconic artifacts that have supported the mission throughout the years.  (Photo: January 24, 2010)

Not just names on the wall, these are pioneers of the United States space program.  The inaugural class was inducted in 2001 and consisted of the members of the Mercury Seven crew.  Since then, each year new members are added to the US Astronaut Hall of Fame located on the property of the Kennedy Space Center.  (Photo: January 24, 2010)

A two-man capsule from Project Gemini sits on display at the Astronaut Hall of Fame outside Kennedy Space Center. Launched atop the Titan II rocket, Project Gemini provided NASA with ten space missions between 1961-1966. (Photo: January 24, 2010)

A replica of the space shuttle sits outside the Astronaut Hall of Fame near Kennedy Space Center.  Inside is a collection of memorabilia showcasing the rich history of the US space program from the rocket to the shuttle. Click on the photo to view more photos from the Astronaut Hall of Fame .  (Photo: January 24, 2010)

The Sigma 7 Mercury capsule sits on display at the Astronaut Hall of Fame outside Kennedy Space Center. The Sigma 7 carried astronaut Wally Schirra as he orbited the Earth six times in 1962. (Photo: January 24, 2010)

The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame pays tribune to the brave men and women of the United States Space program. Opened in 1990, the Hall of Fame features galleries devoted to the inductees. The Hall of Fame inducts a new class of space heroes each year in May. There are over 80 inductees honored in the Hall of Heroes within the museum. (Photo: January 24, 2010)

Titusville, Florida: Adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center sits the US Astronaut Hall of Fame. The museum features a collection of personal items from the space program as well as equipment, interactive exhibits and simulators, and the Hall of Fame itself. Two of the more popular artifacts on display are he Mercury Sigma 7 spacecraft and a space suit worn by Gus Grissom on board Mercury 4. The Hall of Fame was created by a vision of the surviving astronauts of Mercury Seven. They wanted a place for past astronauts to be honored and the resulting hall of fame opened in 1990 and was run by the US Space Camp Foundation in conjunction with the Space Camp Florida. The Hall of Fame remained opened until 2002 when it was forced to close to low attendance. The museum was auctioned off through foreclosure and was purchased by Delaware North Services, the operators of the visitor complex at Kennedy Space Center. It was added as part of the visitor complex attraction and reopened to the pu...