“To my knowledge, there has not been any decision made as to either what happens to the existing rocket or if there are firm plans of what will succeed it. Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell said.

As questions swirled Tuesday in regards to the iconic Saturn V 1B rocket that has welcomed visitors to Alabama, as well as locals home, for more than 40 years, The News Courier reached out to Sentell about the rocket’s uncertain future.

“For more than forty years, Saturn V 1B rocket has been at the Ardmore Welcome Center to identify that you are coming into Alabama and this is where a great deal of the space program takes place. Now that welcome center has been closed and is being demolished and it will be replaced with a new welcome center that ALDOT is building. There has been an ongoing discussion within the space community in Huntsville as to what is going to happen or what should be done with the Saturn 1B. Unless you have been up close to the rocket, you are not aware that it is in not very good shape so there has been concern about the safety of people around it,” Sentell said.

“I’ve been a big fan of the rocket ever since Ed Buckbee put it up there forty something years ago,” Sentell said. “It will be up to people other than the State of Alabama people as to what happens to the rocket.”

An ongoing discussion continues between the Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S Space and Rocket Center on whether to restore the rocket or replace it. The decision is not up to the Alabama Tourism Department nor has a decision been made in regards to the rockets’ fate.

“It was never intended to last outside in the weather for more than forty years,” Sentell said. “That’s the challenge right now – for the people at Marshall Space Flight Center and the Space and Rocket Center to decide what should be done because not doing anything is not the answer.”

Sentell said that he believes the rocket should either be replaced or repaired. He is not aware of any estimates as to how much repairs to the rocket would be. If the decision is made to replace the rocket, Sentell would like to see something symbolic of the area’s future.

“Huntsville right now is all about the future. When you look at all the people moving into the Huntsville area and all the responsibilities that Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal have, I’d like to see a symbol of the future so people don’t just think that the history is all we think about. There’s a great deal of future at Redstone Arsenal. I just think it needs to be something dramatic and exciting and something that makes people say, ‘Oh my gosh! Look at that! We gotta stop and visit to see what’s going on with that,” Sentell said.

As for where the money would come from to replace the rocket, Sentell believes that would be a huge cooperative decision. “Whatever goes up next will be expensive but it should represent the entire region,” Sentell said.