The Outpost, originally named Outpost Tavern and mostly just called Outpost, was a bar in Houston, Clear Lake, close to the Johnson Space Center.
History[]
The Outpost was a usual gathering place for NASA employees and astronauts. One of the bartenders well known among the astronauts was Pam Horton.
At some point, Karen Baldwin purchased the Outpost, and ran it for a couple of years. Later on, she sold it off to Sam Cleveland,[1] who wanted to turn it into a franchise.
Eventually, Outpost's popularity grew to the point where they began selling NASA-themed merchandise. Sometime between 1983 and 1992, the Outpost franchise had become international, with branches in New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Tokyo.[2]
By 2003, the former Outpost had not only changed ownership again, but also name, theme, and cuisine. After decades being dedicated to the space theme, the diner had become an ordinary Tex-Mex restaurant named Julio's Tex-Mex.[3]
Galleries[]
1960s through 1970s[]
1980s[]
1990s[]
Behind the scenes[]

Real Outpost Tavern around 2010. Courtesy of Twitter user Ashley James King.
The Outpost was real and served as watering hole for NASA employees since the mid 60ies. However, during the Apollo years, its name was "Fort Terry's The Universal Joint", or short "U-Joint". Only after its owner changed in 1980, it was renamed to "Outpost Tavern".
Occasionally, it became so popular among NASA employees that it was referred to as "Building 99", a place where work could continue, but with a beer in hand. Astronauts and Mission Control operatives popularized "splashdown" parties — rowdy celebrations of successful Moon missions — replete with a steady flow of booze for NASA employees.
When the bar was closed in 2000, a "Save the Outpost" campaign was started, raising enough funding to reopen it with a facelift. The Outpost finally closed the doors for good in 2010.[4][5]
See also[]
References
- ↑ For All Mankind TV Series - Season 2, Episode 7: "Don't Be Cruel"
- ↑ For All Mankind TV Series - Season 3, Episode 1: "Polaris" (00:58)
- ↑ For All Mankind TV Series - Season 4, Episode 2: "Have A Nice Sol"
- ↑
vinepair.com: How the Outpost Tavern Became NASA’s Unofficial Watering Hole(archived 2022-12-25)
- ↑
houstonchronicle.com: Patrons of long-closed NASA watering hole Outpost Tavern cling to memories(archived 2023-03-26)