The U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Save Space Camp campaign has had phenomenal support from around the world and pushed its initial goal just one week after the effort launched. The campaign began Tuesday, July 28, with the hope of raising a minimum of $1.5 million to sustain museum operations and to be able to reopen Space Camp in April 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the Rocket Center, which closed March 13, 2020, in keeping with state health orders intended to combat the surge in coronavirus cases. The museum reopened in late May, but with far fewer than normal visitors. Space Camp did not reopen until June 28, and then with only a low percentage of its usual attendance.
“The outpouring of support from the public has been wonderful. They surpassed their goal of $1.5 million in just 7 days with more than eight thousand contributions. Many of those giving were former attendees of Space Camp who expressed not only their love for the Space Camp experience but also how it changed their lives for the better, “ said Grey Brennan, Deputy Director of the Alabama Tourism Department. “We are pleased that these funds will allow Space Camp to reopen when it’s safe for people from around the world to travel and attend and continue to educate and inspire.”
The response to the Save Space Campaign has been a gratifying statement of support for the work of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Space Camp. Over 8,000 people and corporations from all 50 states and 36 countries have contributed to the Save Space Camp campaign within a week’s time.
The Rocket Center is continuing to ask for support for the campaign. Any amount over the initial goal will be used to offset losses due to the COVID-19 crisis and for programming. For more information and to make a donation, please visit savespacecamp.com.
Located near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the museum features exhibit’s including an authentic Saturn V rocket, the Apollo 16 command module and a full-sized model of a space shuttle. Space Camp students have access to that area plus classes and mockups where they participate in simulated space missions.
It is important to save Space Camp, not just for the foundation it has laid for hundreds of thousands of successful careers in aerospace, engineering, science, education and other fields, but also for the economic impact the program and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center provide. According to the most recent economic impact studies, the center generates $120 million in annual revenue for the state of Alabama and serves as a magnet for visitors to Huntsville. The Rocket Center has been the top paid tourist attraction in the state for seven straight years.
