— Transfer over Houston… one other U.S. city has declared itself “Area Metropolis” and has a brand new roadside attraction to assist its declare.
The Metropolis of Weatherford, Oklahoma on Thursday (Aug. 22) held a ribbon slicing ceremony for its 30-foot-tall (9-meter) astronaut. The spacesuit-clad statue has a painted moonscape because the reflection in its helmet’s visor, but it surely truly overlooks an iconic roadway celebrating its one hundredth 12 months in 2026.
“It is connecting the dots for all of those Route 66 vacationers,” mentioned Oklahoma’s Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, who helped dedicate the statue, in an interview with KFOR, the native NBC Information affiliate.
The Oklahoma Division of Commerce offered Weatherford with $1 million from its Route 66 Fee to fund the creation of the astronaut and associated “Area Metropolis” street indicators. The city hosts Oklahoma’s largest stretch of Route 66, one of many United States’ first and most well-known highways.
“What an unbelievable day in Weatherford!” native officers wrote in a social media publish on Friday. “The Metropolis of Weatherford, the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce and our neighborhood got here collectively to have fun the ribbon slicing for the Weatherford Route 66 Venture! This undertaking is one other thrilling step towards rising and showcasing our wonderful neighborhood.”
Since 1993, Weatherford has been house to the Stafford Air and Area Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate that was named after the late NASA astronaut and Oklahoma native Thomas Stafford. The 63,000-square-foot (5,900-square-meter) museum chronicles aviation and area exploration historical past with a particular give attention to the contributions made by its namesake.
The museum shows Stafford’s Gemini 6 spacecraft and is the one place on the planet you possibly can see test-fired engines from each the U.S. Saturn V and former Soviet Union’s N-1 moon rockets.
“Because the Area Metropolis of Route 66, this larger-than-life tribute to ambition, exploration and innovation is the right addition to our neighborhood,” the Stafford museum’s employees mentioned in a press release. “The imaginative and prescient behind this undertaking aligns fantastically with our mission — to encourage future generations to succeed in for the celebs.”
“This statue is not only a landmark,” the museum’s publish continued, “it is a daring assertion that Weatherford, Oklahoma, is a spot the place historical past, journey and discovery collide!”
The fiberglass astronaut, which stands on the nook of Broadway and Primary at McPhetridge Centennial Park, is just not immediately modeled after Stafford. Its spacesuit loosely resembles the clothes that he wore into Earth orbit and to fly across the moon, in addition to meet up with Soviet cosmonauts in area. The statue shows each a NASA insignia and the street signal emblem for Route 66.
“This exceeded my expectations. I imply, it is actually a showstopper,” Pinnell mentioned.
The hope, in line with Weatherford Mayor Mike Brown, is that the statue will present another excuse for vacationers to return go to, eat at native eating places and keep the night time. Along with the astronaut, Weatherford can be putting in new light-up Route 66 street makers that spotlight it being “Area Metropolis” on Route 66.
Pinnell just lately referred to as for Oklahoma to develop its funding in aerospace, which presently ranks second among the many state’s industries.
“Oklahoma with the fitting imaginative and prescient, funding, and management is uniquely positioned to be a world chief on this space-driven future,” wrote the lieutenant governor. “A thriving area trade in Oklahoma will encourage college students to pursue STEM careers, hold high expertise in-state, and open doorways for future generations to discover the ultimate frontier not from afar, however from their very own yard.”
