My visit last week to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) in Huntsville, Alabama was amazing. When my daughter was in the 8^th grade, she went to a three-day Space Camp adventure down there as part of a 4-H trip, but until my visit a few days ago, I had no idea what all the excitement was about. Today, the center is home to Space Camp, Aviation Challenge and X-Camp, as well as one of the most comprehensive U.S. manned space flight hardware museums in the world.

As a visitor to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, you experience first-hand Huntsville's role in the making of the moon rocket, the space race, the Apollo missions, the Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station and the latest project, NASA's Constellation project.

I've been to the National Air and Space Museum that's part of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, but the Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville is like no other museum in the country. This Center is basically a huge room in which the 476 foot long, 90 foot wide and 63 foot high Saturn V rocket is suspended 10 feet above the floor. It is really a national historic treasure that's been restored to its Apollo era readiness. The size of it will just blow you away. We were also able to see an IMAX movie on the US trip to the moon, Rocket Park: an amusement park, as well as the Education Training Center, which houses NASA's Educator Resource Center, and more.

If you ever have a chance to visit the USSRC with your family or attend Space Camp offered through 4-H in October around Columbus day, it is well worth the trip.