Inner Space Cavern 50th anniversary Jim Sansom, a former geologist with the Texas Highway Department, now Texas Department of Transportation, was the second person to enter Inner Space Cavern after it was discovered in 1963.[/caption]

Inner Space Cavern celebrated its 50th anniversary June 9 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and presentation at the cavern.

The cave, which is located at 4200 S. I-35 at exit 259 in Georgetown and extends for about five miles, was discovered in 1963 while Texas Highway Department, now the Texas Department of Transportation, crews were drilling to test the stability of the ground for the construction of the I-35 overpass over SE Inner Loop, said Taunya Vessels, Inner Space Cavern general manager.

Inner Space Cavern 50th anniversary Jay Banner, a professor at The University of Texas in the Department of Geological Sciences, hosted a tour at Inner Space Cavern for its 50th anniversary.[/caption]

The cave was opened to the public in July 1966. The business offers three types of guided tours.

Mayor Dale Ross read a proclamation in honor of the milestone, and the event included presentations from Jay Banner, The University of Texas F.M. Bullard professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and director of the Environmental Science Institute, as well as Ernie Lundelius, professor Emeritus in vertebrate paleontology at UT, and Jim Sansom, the second person to enter the cave after it was discovered.