Outpost Tavern serves up hamburgers and history

By Sarah Milstead

Barn-red wood isn't an impressive exterior for a building, but treasure is often found in unlikely boxes. The Outpost Tavern, located at 18113 King's Lynn just off Egret Bay, is home to "world-famous" hamburgers, fresh-cut fries, and a wall-to-wall collection of pictures and paraphernalia chronicling the history of NASA and the astronaut program. The Outpost is also a long-established hangout for astronauts and aerospace personnel in the Clear Lake area. The Outpost's role in NASA history began when former owner Gene Ross bought the building and opened the bar in 1980. The Space Shuttle program was just beginning and Ross asked George Abbey, former director of the Johnson Space Center who was director of Flight Operations at the time for a few pictures of the astronauts to hang on the walls of the bar. Roger Mitchell, a photo systems engineer at the Johnson Space Center and unofficial Outpost historian, says the relationship between astronauts and the Outpost began when the astronauts came in to drop off their photographs. "When they came in, they realized it was a place they could hang out without being bothered, as pioneers in the [Space Shuttle] program often were," Mitchell said. Engineers and other aerospace employees also began frequenting the bar. The Outpost's well-known clientele has made the bar a logical backdrop for scenes in movies involving NASA and space exploration, including Walt Disney's 1997 film "Rocketman," and Warner Brothers' 2000 movie "Space Cowboys." Also adding to the bar's list of honorable mentions, the February 2004 edition of "Popular Science" magazine features the Outpost as second on a list of the top 10 "Nerd Bars." Owners Sharon and Stan Aden enjoy owning an establishment that boasts such an eclectic collection of patrons. "We get astronauts and people from the Pentagon and the White House sitting next to painters and plumbers," Sharon Aden said. "It's like a burger joint, neighborhood bar and museum all in one." Although considered a Clear Lake landmark, The Outpost, housed in a transplanted WWII barracks, nearly closed for good in 1990 due to fire code violations in the kitchen. Keeping the bar open without the food for which it's known was not an option. "When you take away the world-famous hamburgers, you take away most of the revenue," Mitchell said. When regular customers learned that it would cost almost $10,000 to renovate the structure, the "Save the Outpost Foundation" was formed. With donations from the community, astronauts and other patrons, the Aden's were able to meet fire code regulations and keep the Outpost alive. Perhaps part of the Outpost's charm is due to the camaraderie the patrons feel for the bar and each other. "Everyone that walks in here is good people," bartender Dena "From Pasadena" Sanchez said. "Since the first day I started working here, I've been considered family."