21st anniversary celebrations for the space centre
ENJOYED DAY OUT - INCLUDING STAR WARS BADDIE!
THE National Space Centre has just celebrated its 21st birthday.
The centre, with its iconic 138ft Rocket Tower, has welcomed almost five million visitors since NASA astronaut Jeff Hoffman conducted the opening ceremony on June 30, 2001.
Jeff, a veteran of five Space Shuttle missions and Visiting Professor to the University of Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy, cut the ribbon on the opening day.
The attraction has welcomed many special guests over the past 21 years.
Highlights include visits from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, British astronauts Helen Sharman and Tim Peake, as well as astronauts from across the globe including Buzz Aldrin, Chris Hadfield, Stephanie Wilson, Mamoru Mohri.
Star Wars legends Darth Vader (David Prowse) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) have also visited.
The centre, the brainchild of the University of Leicester, was made a reality thanks to funding from the Millennium Commission.
The visitor centre has continued to grow over the years, becoming home to the UK’s largest planetarium with its in-house production team that creates films about space science.
It is also home to a world-class collection of space artefacts including Helen and Tim’s Sokol spacesuits, a
Moon rock brought back by the crew of Apollo 17 and spacecraft including Thor Able, Blue Streak and Soyuz.
Ahead of the big birthday bash, the visitor attraction invited some of its former staff to share their favourite memories of working at the centre.
Their answers have been captured in the #NSC21 Amazing Alumni series available on Facebook and YouTube.
Chief executive Chas Bishop said: “Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard and with such passion over the past 21 years.
“It has been fantastic to welcome back some amazing alumni and hear their memories and the impact that working here has had on their lives.”