Texans can support the ‘Remembering Columbia’ Museum by purchasing a specialty license plate through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
Texans can now support the ‘Remembering Columbia’ Museum with the purchase of a specialty license plate offered by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
The ‘Columbia Remembered’ specialty plate was created by the 78th Texas Legislature in September 2003, months after the tragedy.
The Texas Transportation Code was amended to include sales of a license plate for the purpose of furthering aviation and space activities in Texas and providing Columbia Crew memorial scholarships to students.
The design features an illustration of Space Shuttle Columbia orbiting the Earth. A field of seven stars represents the fallen STS-107 crew members. Rick Husband, Willie McCool, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, and Laurel Clark are denoted by five-pointed stars, while Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, is represented by the Star of David.
From the $30 specialty plate fee, $22 will go to the ‘Remembering Columbia’ Museum for student scholarships and educational projects.
The Aviation and Space Foundation of Texas was the initial recipient of funds raised through sales of the plates. However, in early 2025, Jeffrey Dodson, its sole remaining board member elected to transfer the program to the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum ‘Remembering Columbia’ in Hemphill, citing aligned values and purpose.
For more information or to order a Columbia Remembered specialty plate, visit MyPlates.com. Search “Space Shuttle Columbia” under designs.
Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum 'Remembering Columbia' 