Oklahoma’s space heritage is out of this world
Throughout its brief but storied past, Oklahoma has built a rich heritage in the space program. From its many astronauts who dared to defy earth’s gravity by reaching out to the stars to its quality museums across the state which chronicle the state’s contributions to the United States space program, Oklahoma soars above the crowd.
Oklahoma may have the most astronauts per capita in the U.S. depending on what you read or who you listen to. Although this distinction has been debated for many years, it does not discount the tremendous impact Oklahoma and Oklahomans have had on the U.S. space program.
Seven Oklahoma men and women have done what all of us have only dreamed of doing, and that is seeing Earth from space. The first was Gordon Cooper from Shawnee who, in 1963, orbited the earth 22 times as part of the Mercury mission. William Pogue (Okemah), Owen Garriott (Enid), Shannon Lucid (Bethany), John Herrington (Wetumka), Stuart Roose (Claremore) and Tom Stafford (Weatherford) also hailed from Oklahoma, and each left their indelible marks on our nation’s space program.
Perhaps the most celebrated Oklahoma astronaut of them all is Gen. Tom Stafford. He was a key player for both the Gemini and Apollo missions, not to mention the Apollo-Soyuz Project, the first crewed international space mission between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Stafford also commanded the Apollo 10 mission, which was a dress rehearsal for the eventual moon landing by the crew of Apollo 11 in 1969.
Although he lived before there was even a space program, Oklahoma aviator Wiley Post was instrumental in developing the first pressure suit used by pilots making high-altitude flights. This innovation eventually led to the development of today’s space suit.
The state of Oklahoma is also blessed to have several top-notch space museums in the region. The three most prominent are the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium, Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, named in honor of Tom Stafford, and Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
- Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium — Boasts many static displays of vintage aircraft and offers lots of hands-on activities and interactive exhibits, including computer flight simulators and cockpit trainers. The state-of-the art planetarium takes guests on a journey through the universe where they get a glimpse of stars, planets, asteroids and galaxies.
- Stafford Air & Space Museum — Features several galleries and exhibits highlighting the history of aviation and the U.S. space program, including actual test-fired U.S. and Soviet rocket engines, the actual space-flown Gemini 6 spacecraft, various flight simulators, a full-scale replica of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, static displays of various aircraft and much more.
- Science Museum Oklahoma — Provides visitors with more than eight acres of hands-on experiences, filled with many new exhibits and thousands of space and aviation artifacts. A Smithsonian affiliate, Science Museum Oklahoma is home to the Oklahoma Aviation Hall of Fame featuring artifacts and biographies of the more than 170 individuals inducted into the HOF.
Oklahoma’s rich aviation history has blossomed into a state filled with numerous aerospace companies, organizations and facilities, whose goal is to help humankind reach the far corners of the galaxy and beyond. The Oklahoma Air & Space Port in southwestern Oklahoma, for example, provides facilities for testing, research and development, flights and launches. It is one of just 12 spaceports in the U.S. and is the only one with an FAA-approved spaceflight corridor not in restricted airspace.
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