New Mexico Museum of Space History

Launch Pad Lecture: Trailblazing Women of Space
2025-09-05 09:00 - 10:00 UTC | New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium, 3198 State Route 2001, Alamogordo, NM, 88310, United States
On September 5, 2025, Carolyn Peeler will highlight the remarkable achievements of women identified by NASA as key trailblazers in the space program. She will explore their diverse backgrounds, their groundbreaking contributions to space exploration, and their ongoing legacies in supporting STEM long after their time at NASA.
Guest Speaker: Carolyn Peeler, military veteran, retired Civil Servant, and President of the Holloman Tuskegee Airman Chapter
When: Friday, September 5, 2025, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM MDT
Location: New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
The Launch Pad Lecture Series is held on the first Friday of each month. Museum staff, along with special guest speakers, discuss topics ranging from space history to its future. For more information, visit our website at www.nmspacemuseum.org
Photo courtesy of NASA: April 14, 2010, in the International Space Station, clockwise (from the lower right) are Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Naoko Yamazaki.

Launch Pad Lecture: 49 & Counting - The NM Museum of Space History's Countdown to 50
2025-10-03 09:00 - 10:00 | New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium, 3198 State Route 2001, Alamogordo, NM, 88310, United States
On October 3, Museum Education Director Michael Shinabery will bring to life the fascinating origins of the New Mexico Museum of Space History with his signature animated style and depth of knowledge. From Dwight Ohlinger’s dream that led to the International Space Hall of Fame to the influential NASA scientists who shaped its legacy, this presentation shows how the museum became part of New Mexico’s bold vision for spaceflight—years before NASA even existed.
Guest Speaker: Michael Shinabery, Director of Education, NM Museum of Space History
When: Friday, October 3, 2025, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM MDT
Where: New Horizons Dome Theater, New Mexico Museum of Space History, 3198 State Road 2001, Alamogordo, NM 88310
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
The Launch Pad Lecture Series is held on the first Friday of each month. Museum staff, along with special guest speakers, discuss topics ranging from space history to its future. For more information, visit our website at www.nmspacemuseum.org

Wings & Water - New Mexico Museum of Space History’s Astronomy League Star Party
2025-10-25 19:00 - 21:00 | New Mexico Museum of Space History, 3198 State Rd. 2001, Alamogordo, NM, 88310, United States
This is a public star party supported by the NM Museum of Space History’s Astronomy League and Museum Educators. This event is free to the public and will be held at the NMMSH Outdoor Observatory in the upper parking lot.
When: Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
7:00 PM Constellation show in New Horizons Planetarium
7:45 PM Telescope viewing – Museum Observatory Complex – Upper Parking Lot
Where: NM Museum of Space History
3198 State Rd 2001, Alamogordo, NM 88310

Experience the wonder of an autumn starlit night with the Astronomy League and Museum Educators for an evening of celestial discovery at the New Mexico Museum of Space History on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
The evening starts with the featured planetarium show, “Wings and Water,” where a museum educator will guide visitors through the fall constellations, including Pisces, Aquarius, Aquila, and Cygnus. Afterward, guests can enjoy live telescope viewing, deep-sky imaging demonstrations, and large-screen displays of celestial objects captured by local astronomers.
Parking: Park in the middle lot; no parking in the upper lot (observation area) ADA parking is available at the Hubbard Building.
Restrooms: Availability during the planetarium show. None after the planetarium show.
In the event of inclement weather, programming will move indoors to the Tombaugh Dome and Planetarium.

Launch Pad Lecture: Storms, Science & Surveyor: The Story of Apollo 12
2025-11-07 09:00 - 10:00 | NM
Join the New Mexico Museum of Space History for the next Launch Pad Lecture on November 7, “Storms, Science & Surveyor: The Story of Apollo 12,” presented by Marie De Leon, Senior Instructional Coordinator at the Museum.
Apollo 12 transformed a lightning‑struck launch into one of NASA’s most precise lunar landings, showcasing extraordinary teamwork, scientific innovation, and engineering that advanced the frontiers of exploration.
WHEN: Friday, November 7, 2025 – 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: New Horizons Dome Theater, New Mexico Museum of Space History, Alamogordo, NM
ADMISSION: Free; coffee and donuts provided.
About the Speaker: Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Marie De Leon joined the museum’s education team two years ago, combining her background in psychology with a passion for inspiring curiosity through the powerful stories of space exploration.
The Launch Pad Lecture Series is held on the first Friday of each month. Museum staff, along with special guest speakers, discuss topics ranging from space history to its future. For more information, visit our website at www.nmspacemuseum.org

Museum of Space History Launch Pad Lecture: "Apollo, The Men in the Moon"
2026-01-02 09:00 - 10:00 | New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium, 3198 State Route 2001, Alamogordo, NM, 88310, United States
Museum of Space History Launch Pad Lecture
Guest Speaker: Michael Shinabery, NMMSH Education Director
Lecture Topic: “Apollo, The Men in the Moon”
Location: New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium
Date: January 2, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
The Launch Pad Lecture Series is held on the first Friday of each month in the New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium in the Clyde W. Tombaugh Education Center. Museum staff, and sometimes special guest speakers, discuss topics ranging from space history to space future. Free to the public. Coffee and donuts provided. For more information, email msh.info@dca.nm.gov or visit our website at www.nmspacemuseum.org

Museum of Space History’s Astronomy League Monthly Meeting
2026-01-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Clyde W. Tombaugh Education Center, 3198 State Route 2001, Alamogordo, NM, 88310, United States
Museum of Space History’s Astronomy League Monthly Meeting
Date: January 8, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Clyde W. Tombaugh Education Center
The NM Museum of Space History’s Astronomy League meeting is held on the second Thursday of each month in the Clyde W. Tombaugh Education Center and is free to attend. Museum staff and sometimes special guest speakers discuss topics ranging from public observing to off-site adventures. For more information, contact the Museum Outreach Department at 575-437-2840 ext 41135 or visit our website at www.NMSpaceMuseum.org.

Go Bananas for HAM the Astrochimp at Free Science Saturday​
2026-01-31 11:00 - 14:00 | New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium, 3198 State Route 2001, Alamogordo, NM, 88310, United States
NM Museum of Space History Science Saturday
Location: New Horizons Dome Theater & Planetarium
Date: January 31, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
The New Mexico Museum of Space History invites families to learn about HAM the Astrochimp and his fellow “astrochimps” during this month’s free Science Saturday, held on the last Saturday of the month from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the New Horizons Dome Theater & Planetarium. Participants will explore the role chimpanzees played in the Holloman Aeromedical Center program and how their flights helped prepare humans for space.​
After a short, kid-friendly overview of great apes and early space medicine, museum educators will lead hands-on, great-ape-themed crafts designed for students in grades 2–7. Families are welcome to drop in at any time during the event, and all basic supplies are included.​
Science Saturday is free to the public. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or visit www.nmspacemuseum.org. Like us at www.facebook.com/NMSpaceMuseum/.
