NASA rocket at Alabama rest stop is coming down

A giant landmark for local vacationers making the journey to the Gulf Coast will soon be going away.

The NASA rest stop rocket that has greeted people arriving to Alabama from Tennessee on Interstate 65 for more than four decades is rusting and needs to be torn down.

A statement released by the Marshall Space Flight Center on Thursday said in part, "The Saturn 1B located at the Ardmore Welcome Center is on loan to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and has been a beacon to travelers along I-65 for many years. This rocket was not built to withstand more than 40 years of continuous exposure to the elements of nature. The support structure has deteriorated over the years, the damage is too significant to repair, and could potentially pose a structural safety issue if left in place. We are supporting the safe removal of the Saturn 1B rocket and looking toward what may take its place in the future.”

The Ardmore welcome center that has been home to the rocket has already been shut down, and moved down the highway to Athens.

The rocket has been in place about 44 years. The welcome center opened in 1977. In 1979, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center donated the Saturn 1B rocket, 168 feet high and 22 feet in diameter, to honor nearby Huntsville’s role in the space program.

The rocket was repainted in 2006 and more maintenance was done in 2014, but it has steadily deteriorated since then.

Of course, it was only built to last for one launch into space. The Saturn 1B was one of three Saturn rockets developed in Huntsville for orbital training missions with Apollo spacecraft. NASA built 12 Saturn 1B rockets, but only nine were launched into space. The other two rockets are on display in Huntsville and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Any plans of restoring the rocket may be too expensive and impractical, with rehab costs estimated at a million dollars.

Alabama tourism officials are aware of the emotional impact the rocket has had on residents and visitors. The possibility that some other space-related artifacts can be donated from the Marshall Space Fight Center is also being explored.

Meanwhile, construction of a new welcome center at Ardmore is set to begin.




(Photos - Google Maps)