4 Intriguing Space Places You May Not Know

Even the casual space buff knows about the National Air & Space Museum. And, with some luck, you’ve probably been to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Johnson Space Center in Houston—or both.

But America is filled with fine, and sometimes flukey, space places.

1. Tommy Bartlett’s Exploratory.

I don’t really know much about Tommy Bartlett, but he seems to have purchased the former Soviet Union’s backup of the main module of the Mir space station. And brought it to Wisconsin. If you’ve actually been to Wisconsin Dells and seen it, please email me! In the meantime, visit their website.

2. Deke Slayton Memorial & Bike Museum.

While you’re tooling around Wisconsin, drop by the museum that memorializes one of the original 7 astronauts—and bicycles, too. This is clearly an odd grouping. Nonetheless, this museum makes some sense—Sparta, Wisconsin was Deke Slayton’s home town. If you’re nowhere near Wisconsin, it’s easier to visit the website.

3. The Cosmosphere.

If you haven’t heard of The Cosmosphere, you’re not a true space buff. But due to it’s out-of-the-way location, (Huthcinson, Kansas) it might not be on your radar. In any case, it’s time to familiarize yourself. They’ve got great stuff, and a lot of it. Including: a genuine flown Vostok spacecraft, the actual Apollo 13 command module, and Gus Grissom’s Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft. Visit The Cosmosphere virtually first.

4. PHM Planetarium & Air/Space Museum

Somehow, this museum in Mishawaka, Indiana managed to borrow 44 items from the National Air & Space Museum and 5 more from the Johnson Space Center. One item: the lunar surface experiments ready for flight—the cancelled mission of Apollo 18.