Rocket Park

Gazing up at these towering rockets, one can’t help but feel a sense of awe. Here at Rocket Park, nestled beside the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, we encounter remnants of a bygone era, monuments to the boundless aspirations of the Space Race. Rocket Park showcases real rockets from the 1964 World’s Fair. The fair’s theme, “Peace Through Understanding,” focused on the future and “Man’s Achievements.” The Space Race was in full swing. America had its sights set on the moon. Rocket Park allowed visitors to experience space travel technology firsthand. The park displayed pieces of the Mercury and Gemini space programs. You could see the Saturn V rocket’s propulsion section, a Mercury spacecraft that orbited Earth, an Apollo model, a full-scale X-15 rocket plane, and two colossal rockets: a Titan II topped with a Gemini capsule and an Atlas rocket. These rockets, originally built for the Air Force to carry nuclear warheads, were donated by NASA. Aeronautical engineering students served as expert guides. Notable figures like astronaut Elliott See, Dr. Wernher Von Braun, and NASA Administrator James Webb visited the park. Rocket Park opened alongside the “Cathedral of Science,” now the museum’s Great Hall. After the fair, Rocket Park deteriorated. In 2001, the rockets were restored in Akron, Ohio, by Thomarios, a company with experience repairing rockets for Kennedy Space Center and the Smithsonian. The $2 million restoration included corrosion removal, panel replacement, new steel framing, and fresh paint. Walter Cronkite and astronaut Ellen Baker attended the 2003 reinstallation ceremony. In 2010, a nine-hole mini-golf course demonstrating astrophysics principles was added. While the golf course was closed for renovations, these majestic rockets continue to inspire awe at Rocket Park.