{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Ask A Kansan","title":"Space Odyssey at the Kansas Cosmosphere with Claire Ludes | Ad Astra Kansas","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":4066,"description":"Did you know the best space museum in the world is right in your Kansas backyard?The Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas, is far more than a place to see old rockets. It holds the most U.S. space artifacts outside the Smithsonian and the most Soviet artifacts outside of Moscow — and right now, with humanity heading back to the moon, there's never been a more exciting time to pay attention. Claire Ludes, Senior VP and Chief Development Officer, pulls back the curtain on the institution's remarkable history, its world-class restoration shop, its summer camps that build the next generation of aerospace workers, and what's coming next as private spaceflight rewrites the rules.HighlightsTanner got exclusive footage of baby rhino Creed (named after Chiefs center Creed Humphrey) at Rolling Hills RefugeClaire's path to the Cosmosphere ran through OCCK, district retail management, and the Salina Area United Way — before a recruiter convinced her she didn't need to move to HutchinsonThe Cosmosphere holds the most U.S. space artifacts outside the Smithsonian and the most Soviet artifacts outside MoscowFounder Patty Carey started with a stargazing ball in a chicken coop at the Hutchinson Fairgrounds in 1962SpaceWorks, the Cosmosphere's fabrication and restoration division, did approximately 90% of props for the film Apollo 13 and has worked on the Apple TV+ series For All MankindThe Cosmosphere restored Liberty Bell 7 — Gus Grissom's Mercury capsule — after it was recovered from the ocean floor where it had sat for decadesJeff Bezos's dive team recovered Saturn V engines from the ocean; the Cosmosphere's SpaceWorks division did the F-1 engine restorationThe Cosmosphere received a flown Merlin engine donated by SpaceX and is getting a SpaceX parachute that visitors can touchArtemis II astronauts have called the Cosmosphere the best space museum in the worldSummer camps run from 3rd grade through 12th grade; in 2025 the Cosmosphere celebrated 40 years of camps with an alumni...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/31uDhQmE-73zaqpWjXtwnyYffNMsUnDPiL6GtjTddEQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mNzBm/YzFkNDBkODVjNGM2/MzMwMGViYjhmZTY4/Nzc0Mi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}