HUNTSVILLE — Recognizing the thousands of people behind the scenes of the space program in Huntsville, the Space Exploration Wall of Honor was unveiled Thursday at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
The Wall of Honor is in the newly renovated Rocket Park and contains the names of 21,000 employees of the Marshall Space Flight Center since its inception in 1960.
Dr. Kimberly Robinson, CEO and executive director of the Rocket Center, said it’s fitting the wall is where the Saturn V Rocket used to sit before being relocated inside the Davidson Center.
“Each name here tells a story of dedication, perseverance, and an unyielding passion for discovery,” said Robinson. “That legacy is the foundation upon which we continue to build our future in space exploration today, as the next generation of explorers walk by this wall, they will be inspired by those who dare to push boundaries and pave the way.”
The Marshall Retirees Association partnered with the Rocket Center on the wall, which honors the civilian employees who worked on programs from the early days of space exploration to today.
“These people made history for the world and made history for forever,” said Mayor Tommy Battle.
Madison County Commission Chairman Mac McCutcheon recalled being out in the field with his grandfather and hearing rocket testing that shook the cotton field where he was standing.
“This wall represents to us an idea, an idea to achieve something that was never done before,” he said. “It also has a sense of accomplishment to do something that will change history, building something to do something that no one had ever done before, and building a better life for yourself, for your family, for your community, for the nation and for a world.
“There’s more than just letters and names here.”
“They’re the names of the people who live here, who worked here, who were sons, daughters, moms, fathers, grandparents, neighbors and friends,” he said. “People who left their mark on the final frontier of space exploration.”
The wall was six years in the making and included thousands of hours of work by volunteers compiling the names; some from old employee phone books at Marshall. A kiosk near the wall allows visitors to look up the career stories of NASA workers as well as contractors.
Robinson said while the wall contains 21,000 names so far, there is remaining space on the wall for 25 years worth of additional names.
“This wall will serve as a constant reminder that exploration is not a single moment, but a continuous quest passed from one generation to the next,” she said.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
