Titusville, FL (PRWEB) May 22, 2004

Appraisals Begin, Astronauts Arrive Friday Evening, Alan Shepard's "Vette" and 8 Mission Flight/Entry Suit Debut This Weekend

Titusville, FL (PRWEB) May 22, 2004 -- Two days of free Aurora Galleries appraisals began today. Space Coast Cover Service will continue free weekend memorabilia appraisals with Ken Havekotte. The Inaugural Air and Space Show Saturday Reception and Dinner have been sold out. The air and space celebrities are enroute. None of the aviators have actually seen the Space Walk of Fame Museum. Former NASA Astronaut Jack Lousma told Florida Today reporter Debbie Roberts that “I’ve heard a lot about the museum…and I’m excited about seeing it.”

The two day Autograph Show featuring 3 NASA Moonwalkers, 4 Apollo Veterans, a Russian Cosmonaut and other early air and space pioneers begins Saturday morning at 11 AM. Bill Harwood and Mike Cabbage, authors of “CommCheck”, will sign their new book about the final moments of STS-107 (Columbia).

The Moonwalkers attending are Ed Mitchell (Ap 14), Dave Scott (Ap 15), Charlie Duke (Ap 16). Joining them will be veteran Astronauts Tom Stafford (who flew aboard Gemini VI, Gemini IX, Apollo 10 and Apollo-Soyuz), Al Worden (Ap 15), Jack Lousma (Skylab 3 and STS 3), Paul Weitz (Skylab 2 and STS 4), and Cosmonaut Yuri Usachev (MIR 21, STS 101 and Expedition 2). Duane “Doc” Graveline, NASA Group 4 scientist astronaut and Guenter Wendt, author and Apollo Pad Leader will also attend.

Other air and space notables will be 4 (of 13) Mercury era Women Astronaut candidates and Pioneer Test Pilots from the X-1 flight days. Comedian (and “8th Mercury Astronaut”) Bill Dana will host a benefit dinner on Saturday evening.

Also this weekend, the museum will debut Astronaut Alan Shepard’s 1968 Corvette (a courtesy loan by Pat Stockton) and SWOF’s Artifact Agent Jeff Soulier will present an orange launch/entry suit (flown on 6 shuttle missions), a shuttle orbiter inner window frame, an early shuttle orbiter vacuum cleaner and an astronaut entry seat chair (flown on STS-71). Soulier credits his successful acquisitions to his PDO contacts at the Kennedy Space Center (Paulette McGinnis, Mary Remley and Michelle Phillips) and JSC in Houston (Margaret Coward).

Also included in new exhibits is a Boeing Company donation of 5’ X 3’ flags representing the partners in the International Space Station effort.

Although entry to the SWOF Museum is free, there is a $10.00 daily admission fee for the Air and Space Autograph Show. Additional fees (ranging from $5.00 to $150.00) will be charged for each astronaut or celebrity autograph requested.

For further information visit www.spacewalkoffame.com or www.airandspaceshow.com or call 321.264.0434.

Background Information
The U.S. Space Walk of Fame is a non-profit 501C3 organization dedicated to preserving the history of the men and women who worked to make U.S. Space Exploration a reality and the Astronauts who flew the missions. The organization was founded by and is run by a volunteer staff.

Monuments to workers and astronauts of the Mercury 7 and Gemini flight programs stand in Titusville’s Space View Park on the Indian River directly across from NASA’s VAB and manned mission launch Pads 39A and 39B. Fund Raising and bronze panel sculpting and casting are in progress for a proposed Apollo Monument to be added in Space View Park.

The 10,000 square foot U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum is in Titusville’s Searstown Mall on U.S. Highway 1. The museum houses the only set of bronzed Apollo Astronaut handprints in the world; a unique multi-media map depicting the History of the Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center (KSC); flown-in-space items; to scale models of rockets and KSC facilities and a souvenir/gift shop.

The museum is open 7 days a week from 11 Am – 7 PM (Wed., 11 Am – 5 PM., Sun., Noon – 5 PM) Multi-media map shows are 3 times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 12:30 PM. For this week only, the museum will close at 5pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Note to Editors/Reporters: Astronauts and other aviators will be available on Saturday and Sunday during the day for interviews. Please try and call to schedule a time.

 

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