Dr. Deborah Edwards Barnhart, the former CEO and executive director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 73 following a brief illness.

Today, the Space & Rocket Center posted a tribute video on their facebook page to honor her.

Having first joined the Space Center in 1972, she served in various roles—including director of Space Camp from 1986 to 1990—before returning as CEO from 2010 until her retirement in December 2019. During her tenure as chief executive, she guided the facility out of significant debt and managed operations through the 50th-anniversary celebration of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Dr. Barnhart spent 26 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a captain. She was notably among the first ten women assigned to duty aboard Navy ships and commanded five units during her military career. In the private sector, she served as a vice president for aerospace companies such as Honeywell International, McDonnell Douglas, and United Technologies Aerospace. She held a bachelor’s degree from UAH, MBAs from the University of Maryland and MIT Sloan School of Management, and an EdD from Vanderbilt University.

Her work undoubtedly left a mark on the institution. For those who actively volunteer, make recurring monthly donations, or are members of the Space Camp Hall of Fame, her impact on the programs we support remains an undeniable part of the center’s history.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Dr. Deborah Edwards Barnhart Endowed Scholarship.

Additional coverage can be found at:

• https://www.waaytv.com/news/u-s-space-rocket-center-honors-legacy-of-dr-deborah-barnhart/article_462d409b-a8d8-44e5-be27-799ffbbc5a8b.html
• https://256today.com/former-space-rocket-center-ceo-deborah-barnhart-dies-at-73/
• https://www.al.com/news/2026/03/former-space-rocket-space-center-ceo-dies-after-brief-illness.html
• https://www.waff.com/2026/03/11/former-ceo-space-rocket-center-dies-73/
• https://www.al.com/breaking/2010/12/new_space_rocket_center_ceo_ba.html

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey was in Huntsville today to sign a bill renaming the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission–the state run governing body that owns and oversees the U.S. Space & Rocket Center–to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Comission.

The bill also provides the Center more flexibility to enter into contracts with other entities.

Additional reporting can be read here on AL.com or by watching the WAAY-31 report:

Popular comedy and satire news site The Onion just published a Space Camp related news story today!

Click on the headline below to see it!

Aviation Challenge alumnus Jared Isaacman has been nominated by President-Elect Donald Trump to be the next Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration!

The announcement came today as Mr. Isaacman posted the following to his X account:

Isaacman, founder of the payment platform Shift4, rose to prominence as the commander of the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions. It is during the latter mission that he became the first private Astronaut to perform an EVA.

Congratulations, Jared!

It’s been quite a few years in the making, but today’s the day!

Pathfinder is being hoisted back onto the stack in Shuttle Park!

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is live streaming the lift today!

EDIT: According to the schedule, the actual lift won’t occur until tomorrow, with today being the day to build up the cranes and rigging.

The crew of the upcoming SpaceX mission Polaris Dawn was in Huntsville today to speak to Space Campers!

The crew toured Space Camp before addressing campers in the brand-new Space Camp Operations Center. The team discussed their upcoming mission, including mission objectives. Space Camp / Aviation Challenge alumni Julia Lantos was on hand to moderate questions asked by some Space Campers attending this week.

The mission is scheduled for no sooner than Q4 2023, with a possibility that the mission might slip into 2024.

Update: Coverage from WAAY-31
Update: WHNT has their report from the 5pm news on their YouTube channel here.

These four men will be inducted at the Space Camp Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony on July 14, 2023.

You can get your tickets by going to https://www.rocketcenter.com/SpaceCampReunion. Tickets to the dinner are $100, but $250 will get you the “All Access Pass” into the entire weekend’s slate of events, including time on Space Camp simulators! Any donations of $150 or more, including All Access Pass purchases, will receive a patch from the Space Camp Alumni Association, available only for this event!

This is technically old news, but I just noticed it recently and thought it was worth a mention.

The “Lifetime Membership” option for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center has been on hiatus for a little over a year.

The lifetime membership had been offered for $1,000 and first became available in early 2014.

Curiously, “Lifetime Membership” is still an option on the Space & Rocket Center Online Shop, but clicking on it doesn’t take you anywhere other than the store’s home page.