This science center is named after two New Hampshire astronauts. Christa McAuliffe was the schoolteacher chosen to be America's first teacher-astronaut – she and her fellow astronauts died in the tragic explosion of the Challenger spacecraft in 1986 – and Alan B Shepard was a member of NASA's elite Mercury corps and became America's first astronaut in 1961. Exhibits – some slightly tired – explore various aspects of space exploration but don't, unfortunately, spend much time on the lives of the two namesake astronauts.
You can view a life-size replica of a NASA rocket and the Mercury capsule that transported Shepard to space. You can also practice landing a Discovery space shuttle from a mock cockpit and learn about space travel to Mars and the power of the sun.