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Stafford Air & Space Museum , Weatherford, United States — Google

By A Mystery Man Writer

The Stafford Air & Space Museum has worked closely with the Smithsonian Institution, NASA, and the U.S. Air Force Museum to assemble one of the finest collections of aerospace artifacts in the central United States. The Stafford Museum is named in honor of famed test pilot and astronaut Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford. Stafford was born in 1930 and raised in Weatherford, OK. His mother came to Oklahoma in a covered wagon and lived to see her only child fly to the moon. Stafford was selected by NASA in the second group of astronauts in 1962. He would fly 4 historic space missions (Gemini 6, Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo-Soyuz), three of them as mission Commander. For his efforts as Joint Commander of the U.S. and Soviet Apollo-Soyuz mission, Stafford received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Stafford is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Oklahoma Aviator of the Century award. Named a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2011, the museum houses over an acre of exhibits under roof and showcases thousands of items representing the evolution of aviation and spaceflight. Examples include a ten-story Titan II rocket, actual space suits – including Stafford’s flown Apollo 10 pressure suit, an Apollo Command & Service Module, and one of the most impressive collections of rocket engines in the world. Highlights are a gigantic F-1 from the Saturn V, a flown Shuttle Main Engine, and a flown segment of a Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster you can walk through. Aircraft displays include an actual Sopwith Pup, F-86, F-104, T-33, T-38, F-16, and a rare MIG-21. Full-scale replicas of the Wright Flyer, Bleriot and Spirit of St. Louis can also be viewed.