Space Mirror Memorial
National memorial honoring U.S. astronauts who died in the line of duty.
The Space Mirror Memorial, part of the larger Astronauts Memorial, sits on the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. It is cared for by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF), which has its offices in the NASA Center for Space Education next door. Designed in 1987 by Holt Hinshaw Pfau Jones, the memorial was dedicated on May 9, 1991, to honor those who lost their lives in U.S. space programs, especially NASA’s. In 1990, the U.S. Congress designated it “as the national memorial to astronauts who die in the line of duty” (Joint Resolution 214).
The memorial’s centerpiece is the Space Mirror: a flat expanse of polished black granite, 42.5 feet high by 50 feet wide (13.0 m × 15.2 m), split into 90 smaller panels. The names of 24 astronauts are scattered across it, with those who died in the same incident grouped on one panel or two adjacent ones. Each name is cut through the surface, exposing a translucent backing filled with acrylic, backlit by LED lights so the names glow and seem to float against a reflection of the sky. Nearby, a granite wall displays pictures and short biographies of those listed. Wes Jones of Holt Hinshaw Pfau Jones designed the Space Mirror after winning an international competition.
Originally, the memorial had motors and jackscrews to track the Sun across the sky in pan and tilt axes. Parabolic reflectors on the back directed sunlight through the acrylic panels to brightly illuminate the names, with floodlights supplementing when sunlight was weak. In 1997, the tracking system failed, causing part of the monument to hit a steel beam on an adjacent platform. Insurance covered $375,000 for repairs, but later the mechanism stopped again due to problems with the slewing ring. Estimated repair costs were around $700,000, and the AMF decided unanimously that the money would be better spent on educational programs. The floodlights were repositioned and now shine 24 hours a day.
The memorial cost $6.2 million. It was partly funded by “Space Shots” trading cards: an agreement gave 25% of profits to the Foundation in exchange for guaranteeing a $160,000 loan, but a projected $400,000 was never paid. Funding also comes from a Florida specialty vehicle registration plate, first issued in 1987 as the Challenger plate—the state’s first specialty plate.
- Designed
- 1987 by Holt Hinshaw Pfau Jones
- Dedicated
- May 9, 1991
- Location
- John F. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island, Florida
- Cost
- $6.2 million
- Primary feature
- Space Mirror, a flat expanse of polished black granite, 42.5 feet high by 50 feet wide
- Number of honorees
- 24 (as of January 2020)
- Maintained by
- Astronauts Memorial Foundation
Lore & Background
The memorial was designed in 1987 by Holt Hinshaw Pfau Jones, with Wes Jones winning an international design competition. Its primary feature is the Space Mirror, a 42.5-foot by 50-foot polished black granite surface divided into 90 panels. Names of the 24 astronauts are cut through the granite, backed with translucent acrylic, and backlit with LED lights, making them appear to float in a reflection of the sky. Near the Space Mirror is a granite wall bearing pictures and brief biographies of those listed.
Reader's Guide
The Space Mirror Memorial serves as the national memorial for astronauts who die in the line of duty, as designated by the U.S. Congress. It honors 20 NASA career astronauts, plus a U.S. Air Force X-15 test pilot, a U.S. Air Force officer who died training for a classified military space program, a civilian spaceflight participant from the Challenger disaster, and an Israeli astronaut from the Columbia disaster. In July 2019, the AMF voted to include private astronauts, adding Michael T. Alsbury in January 2020. The memorial originally had a sun-tracking mechanism that failed in 1997; repairs were deemed too costly, and floodlights now illuminate it 24 hours a day. Funding came from $6.2 million in costs, partially from 'Space Shots' trading cards (which defaulted on a $400,000 debt), and from Florida's Challenger/Columbia specialty license plate, which raised $377,000 in 2009. The memorial's significance lies in its permanent recognition of those who gave their lives in the pursuit of space exploration, including both government and private astronauts.
Did You Know?
- The Space Mirror Memorial cost $6.2 million to build.
- The memorial's sun-tracking mechanism failed in 1997 and was not repaired; floodlights now shine 24 hours a day.
- The first private astronaut added to the memorial was Michael T. Alsbury, who died in the crash of SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise on October 31, 2014.
- The memorial is partially funded by Florida's Challenger/Columbia specialty license plate, first issued in 1987.
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