Rocket City Remembers Apollo 10!

Hey ChumCity! Did you know that Alabama played a HUGE part in getting us to the moon? Fifty-six years ago, on May 18, 1969, NASA launched Apollo 10, the final dress rehearsal for the legendary moon landing a month later. And guess where a lot of the magic happened? Right here in Sweet Home Alabama!

Huntsville's Helping Hand

Okay, so Apollo 10 blasted off from Florida, but a massive chunk of the work was done in Huntsville. The Marshall Space Flight Center designed and tested the beastly Saturn V rocket that carried astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan. We're talking guidance systems and the whole shebang!

Blast Off to the Future!

Marshall Space Flight Center is STILL a hotbed of innovation. NASA says they're leading the charge on the Space Launch System (SLS), the rocket that'll send astronauts back to the moon as part of the Artemis program. Plus, they're rocking 3D printing for space, testing rocket engines, and keeping the space station humming.

Alabama's All In

NASA's got its fingers in every single one of Alabama's 67 counties through research, education, and good ol' economic partnerships. They've got over 50 active deals with universities and businesses across the state, like UA, Auburn, and more!

Space Command Coming?

And get this: Alabama's space game is about to get even BIGGER! With Frank Calvelli Meink now the Secretary of the Air Force, there's serious buzz about moving U.S. Space Command to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. Congressman Dale Strong says Huntsville's already proven it's the best spot.

So, as we celebrate Alabama's role in the Apollo era, remember we're still leading the way for the next generation of space exploration, reaching for the Moon, Mars, and beyond!