Photography Jason Dailey
Explore space attractions boasting rich history, space travel and more
Blast off to explore planets, rockets, and famous spacecraft at the state’s cosmic attraction, the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. The renowned space museum’s unworldly exhibits launch visitors into Kansas’ starry skies and galaxies far, far away.
A Hutchinson astronomy enthusiast, Patty Carey, beamed the city’s first planetarium show in 1962 inside the poultry building at the state fairgrounds, with only a used projector and folding chairs. The makeshift planetarium, the first in Kansas, moved to Hutchinson Junior College in 1966 before the facility expanded in 1997 to become the current Cosmosphere.
Today, the Smithsonian-affiliated science center and museum draws space buffs to its galaxy of galleries. It’s home to the largest collection of Russian space artifacts outside of Moscow, a high-tech planetarium, two-story dome theater, fired-up rocket lab and hands-on CosmoKids programs. Its collection of U.S. space artifacts ranks second only to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
In the lobby, the journey begins with a walk beneath the looming wings of a sleek and stealthy SR-71 Blackbird, a supersonic spy plane. Visitors can ride along with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in the lobby’s flight simulator before launching into the Cosmosphere’s centerpiece, the Hall of Space Museum. Its combined collection of U.S. and Russian space artifacts—the world’s largest—documents the intense race between the two superpowers. Rockets, spacesuits, training gear and other artifacts from both programs help tell the story.
The Hall of Space’s standout exhibit, the Apollo 13 command module, Odyssey, recounts the drama of the nearly disastrous 1970 moon mission. The museum boasts crafts from the first three human-carrying space programs—Mercury, Gemini and Apollo—plus a Soviet Vostok capsule flown on an uncrewed mission.
Currently under renovation, the Hall of Space remains fully open, with most artifacts on display.
“The entire museum is walkable, and visitors still get the full experience,” explains Chuck McClary, Cosmosphere public relations coordinator, about the year-long renovation. “Throughout 2024, we’ve focused on updating our building for the future, future-proofing us!”
By the end of 2024, the museum will house a new interactive rocket gallery with real rocket engines used to demonstrate how rockets work. Watch for improved signage and more interactive exhibits, too.
Two long-standing museum attractions zoom in on starry skies and feature films. In the pitch-black Justice Planetarium, stars projected on the overhead dome teach about constellations, planets and other heavenly bodies. Moviegoers will be immersed in the action at the wraparound, two-story Carey Digital Dome Theater with 4G digital projection. The Dome showbill includes gripping documentaries, such as military, wildlife and space science releases.
Kids have a blast, literally, in Dr. Goddard’s Lab, known for its cool experiments and explosions. For even more aero adventures, kids can climb into a miniature Orion spacecraft and build air rockets and Mars habitats at the action-packed CosmoKids.
“Kids think they’re just having fun, but they’re also learning at the same time by discovering science on their own,” McClary says about the Cosmosphere’s newest addition, CosmoKids.
He looks forward to continue telling the story of the space race in fresh ways.
“Reading about it in history books is one thing, but when you look at the actual spacecraft, the real suits, and the genuine tools, you’re only one degree of separation away from the person who was actually there. We hope these renovations make that realization even easier than it was before,” McClary concludes.
The Cosmosphere is open Sunday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit cosmo.org for more information.
In addition to its daily operating hours, space-enthusiasts looking for a deeper understanding of all things science and technology related should consider participating in one of the many Cosmosphere Camps available.
