Shuttle Astronaut Mini-Museum: Space Tire

Beaufort, North Carolina

Astronaut Michael J. Smith was the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and died when it exploded in 1986. He's remembered in a mini-museum in a hallway of his hometown elementary school. The museum was created in 2000, when the school acquired a "space tire" that had flown on the Challenger's replacement shuttle, and didn't have a place to put it. The tire now stands in the hallway, flanked by other exhibits, and can be touched by visitors.

Beaufort also has a simple granite block memorial to Smith at the town waterfront.

Shuttle Astronaut Mini-Museum: Space Tire

Beaufort Elementary School

Address:: 801 Mulberry St., Beaufort, NC
Directions:: Head out of Beaufort on Live Oak Street. Turn left on NC 101 West. Turn right on Carraway Drive. School is on the left.
Hours:: School hours - ask permission. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:: 252-728-3316
Admission:: Free

More on Shuttle Astronaut Mini-Museum: Space Tire

Nearby Offbeat Places

Grave of the Rum Keg Girl, Beaufort, NC - < 1 mi.

Memorial to Doomed Space Shuttle Astronaut, Beaufort, NC - < 1 mi.

Head of Woo Woo Harker, Morehead City, NC - 3 mi.

In the region:

Beruit Bombing and Grenada War Memorial, Jacksonville, NC - 43 mi.

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