92-Foot-Tall Mercury Redstone Rocket Replica.

92-Foot-Tall Mercury Redstone Rocket Replica

Alan Shepard, the first free man into outer space, was a native of New Hampshire. For some reason the state failed to acknowledge that -- at least as a tourist attraction -- until 2009, when it erected a life-size, perfect replica of the Redstone rocket that launched Shepard skyward in 1961. Explanatory signs around the Redstone reveal that it was in fact just a ballistic missile with a space capsule stuck on top. Shepard was a brave man, and a little nuts.

The rocket stands in front of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, an upscale planetarium. There's a little bronze bust of Shepard on the admission desk, but that's the extent of his personal glorification -- which is as it should be. The rocket really was the star of those early Mercury flights.

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center is co-named for Christa McAuliffe, New Hampshire's other famous astronaut. Unfortunately, through no fault of hers, that spacecraft didn't perform as well as Alan's.

92-Foot-Tall Mercury Redstone Rocket Replica

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

Address:: 2 Institute Drive, Concord, NH
Directions:: The rocket stands outside of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, a half-mile northeast of I-93 exit 15W.
RA Rates:: Worth a Detour

Nearby Offbeat Places

Hannah Duston Massacre Site Statue, Penacook, NH - 5 mi.
Trojan Horse, Epsom, NH - 9 mi.
Snowmobile Museum, Allenstown, NH - 9 mi.
In the region: Mary's Little Lamb, Sterling, MA - 55 mi.

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April 10, 2013