The space race in the twentieth century captivated more audiences around the world than any organized sport. Why then were there hall of fames for every major sport in the United States, but not a hall of fame for the space race. That is exactly what Alamogordo, New Mexico Mayor Dwight Ohlinger thought in 1973. The World Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York inspired Ohlinger to create a hall of fame for the world’s most famous space stars.

With the help of Governor Brice King and Ohlinger, the New Mexico Legislature created the Office of Cultural Affairs in 1978. The Office of Cultural Affairs was responsible for creating and administrating the new Space Hall of Fame. New additions to the museums throughout the years warranted a name change. In 1987 the Office of Cultural Affairs changed the name to Space Center and to the New Mexico Museum of Space History in 2001.

The New Mexico Museum of Space History offers much more than just a hall of fame for the world’s greatest space feats. Along with the actual museum and International Hall of Fame, the building houses the John P. Stapp Air and Space Park which displays large exhibits like the Little Joe II Rocket, the Daisy Track which commemorates aeronautics and space tests, the Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX Theater and Planetarium which is the only such theater in the Southwest, the Astronaut Memorial Garden which commemorates the Apollo 1, Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia Astronauts, and the Hubbard Space Science Research Building where researchers have access to the space archives. The museum’s mission is to educate people about the history of space and the state of New Mexico’s importance in the United States space program.