On February 1, 2011, the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA “Remembering Columbia” Museum opened in Hemphill, TX to commemorate the Columbia STS-107 shuttle and crew that disintegrated over East Texas upon its re-entry to Kennedy Space Center on February 1, 2003. Among the generous donors who make the museum possible are Albert “Al” Smith, and the families of the STS-107 crew.
The museum takes visitors on a journey through Columbia’s first historic flight STS-1 through its last mission STS-107, and tells the story of the recovery of the Columbia shuttle and STS-107 crew, along with two recovery workers who lost their lives in these efforts. The story is remarkable and the museum alone is worth the visit to Hemphill in Sabine County.
For more information and to plan your visit to the “Remembering Columbia” museum, check out nasacolumbiamuseum.com.