Rocket Garden

ROCKET GARDEN

These vintage rockets are maintained by the Smithsonian, yet their site was quite boring and without interest; not at all demonstrative of its significance to our Nation’s history. Dramatic lighting was the focus of the renovation to this historic site, rededicated in early 2002. The rockets had to be spectacularly presented and individually showcased with strict lighting trespass and glare issues.

The lighting has brought these historic rockets back to life with a patriotic scheme, highlighting the rocket bodies with bright white uplight, heating their engines with flickering red and orange light, and bathing the site with techno-blue accents. Individual rockets can be showcased for presentations, while a nightly guest experience “launches” each rocket in historic sequence. Uniform uplighting of the rockets eliminates glare and adds to the dramatic technological presentation. Elaborate renderings helped prove the science, design the custom fixtures, and justify the project, as well as facilitate the installation. Our lighting design restored these rockets to historic brilliance and presented them in dramatic context that captures their “blast off” glory. Our goal was to impress NASA, and we did.

Kennedy Space Rocket Garden from Marty Peck on Vimeo.