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    Houston's own Statue of Liberty

    Houston's own Statue of Liberty? Giant Astronaut to tower taller than Sam Houston — and include an elevator

    Tyler Rudick
    Feb 8, 2014 | 1:03 pm

    Never one to pass up a chance to build a towering statue along the highway, legendary Houston artist David Adickes has signed on to design the largest project of his career — an 80-foot concrete astronaut at I-45 and NASA Parkway that would tower over the famous Sam Houston statue in size.

    The impressive statue will stand above a newly-proposed education center dedicated to the Apollo space program and its historic moon landings. The City of Webster, which owns the land for the project, will partner with the Apollo and Beyond nonprofit to raise funds for this new space center.

    The statue and Apollo center, neither of which have any direct affiliation with NASA, are expected to lure as many as 800,000 visitors a year to a community still hurting from the federal agency's cancellation of the space shuttle program in 2011.

    "This would be an icon, for not only Webster but NASA and this whole south part of Texas."

    "This would be an icon, for not only Webster but NASA and this whole south part of Texas," Adickes tells KTRK Channel 13 about his monumental art project. "The excitement comes when I actually start trying to figure out how to do it and where it's going to be done. All the details, that's the fun part."

    The artist envisions a 1960s-era astronaut triumphantly planting an American flag onto a 50-foot pedestal that will feature a small museum.

    Like the Statue of Liberty or the San Jacinto monument — and unlike Adickes' 67-foot Sam Houston statue in Huntsville — the astronaut would include an elevator to lift visitors atop its massive helmet for sweeping views of Houston and Galveston. The towering Apollo homage has an anticipated cost of $5 million, with an additional $25 million required for the education center.

    Organizers say the 20,000-square-foot complex, currently dubbed the Apollo and Beyond Center, also will serve as a sort of business and technology incubator for a region with deep ties to the aerospace industry. Multi-purpose meeting areas will host conferences and talks aimed at bringing together area tech talent with international firms.

    Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin donning the vintage space suit the artist will recreate in his monumental new statue.

     
    unspecified
    news/innovation

    Innovation news

    AI-powered hiking app developed in Houston earns international award

    InnovationMap Staff
    Jun 27, 2025 | 9:30 am
    NOMAD app
    Photo courtesy of UH
    NOMAD aims to help hikers stay in the moment while still utilizing technology.

    An AI-powered, screen-free hiking system developed by a recent industrial design graduate from the University of Houston has earned global recognition.

    Created by Varshini Chouthri, the system known as NOMAD has received Red Dot’s “Best of the Best” award, which recognizes the top innovative designs around the world. It will go on to compete for the Red Dot Luminary Award, the highest recognition given at the international event.

    NOMAD aims to help users stay in the moment while still utilizing technology. The app “reimagines” outdoor exploration by removing the dependence on screens by using adaptive AI, contextual sensing, and an optional, wearable companion device.

    It enables hikers to receive real-time guidance, safety alerts, personalized trip planning, hands-free navigation and more through a natural interface, according to UH.

    “NOMAD was truly a passion project, inspired by years of hiking growing up, where the outdoors became a place of peace, challenge, and reflection,” creator Chouthri said in a news release. “I wanted to design something supporting those kinds of experiences by helping hikers feel more grounded and confident while staying present in nature. It was a way to give back to the moments that made me fall in love with the outdoors in the first place.”

    NOMAD was developed at the Hines College of Architecture and Design’s PXD LAB. In 2023, Lunet, developed by David Edquilang at Hines College, received the “Best of the Best” recognition and went on to win the Red Dot Luminary Award.

    The PXD LAB offers a platform to expand concepts into system-level designs that address real-world challenges, according to UH.

    “Varshini’s work on NOMAD exemplifies the future-focused, systems-driven thinking we promote in the Advanced UX Design curriculum,” Min Kang, director of PXD LAB, added in the release. “NOMAD goes beyond being just a product; it reimagines how technology can enhance outdoor exploration without disrupting the experience.”

    In addition to the Red Dot honors, NOMAD has already earned distinction from the FIT Sport Design Awards and was a finalist for the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America.

    ---

    This story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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