We observed NASA team members calmly toiling at their computers, orchestrating the unfathomably intricate daily operations of the International Space Station. This, in and of itself, would’ve made for a completely worthwhile tour. Our penultimate destination was FCR-1, the modern day control room used for current space missions. Unlike the NBL, this time we were able to walk right on the floor and get a close-up look at robots and experimental vehicles meant for use on the moon and, someday, Mars. Sprawled across a massive room that could fit TWO Big Ben clock towers END TO END were replicas of all the key modules of the International Space Station. Space Center’s Building 9 is basically the Neutral Buoyancy Lab without the water. This is where Jeff makes his admission fee back.įOURTH STOP: SPACE VEHICLE MOCKUP FACILITY But deep down there is a part of me that understands how overwhelming that kind of temptation might be.Īll-you-can-eat cafeteria. We all rolled our eyes at the thought of someone being so inconsiderate. I had been looking forward to walking along the edge of the pool itself, but I was informed that tour groups are no longer allowed to do so because some idiot guest once jumped into the water, ruining a delicate experiment in the process. Our vantage point was an enclosed balcony above the pool, which allowed us a panoramic view of the whole lab. The stages of these rockets are usually dropped into the ocean so it’s impossible to assemble all the pieces from a single mission, but at least one or more of the components of this particular rocket were used between 19 to launch a combined total of 27 astronauts into space. There are only three Saturn V rockets on display in the world, but the Johnson Space Center holds special bragging rights because theirs is the only one comprised of all flight-certified hardware. But the “shut up and take my money” moment was finding out that the Level 9 group would get to sit in the actual chairs in front of the actual consoles inside the actual historic mission control room!
I debated the price tag for the Level 9 tour while drooling over the thought of seeing the Neutral Buoyancy Lab and getting exclusive access to the ISS training area. It’s included in the price of admission, but for an additional fee you can join the “Level 9” tour, which offers smaller group sizes and access to areas not normally visited by the general public. The main attraction, though, is a tram tour that gives guests an overview of the sprawling 1,620-acre complex. They even have a Skylab training module and the podium from which JFK delivered his famous “We choose to go to the Moon” speech. Just beyond the entrance are actual Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules and moon rocks you can touch and flight suits worn by the likes of Michael Collins, Pete Conrad, and Sally Ride. Outside the front door stands a full-scale replica of a Space Shuttle and carrier plane.
Space Center Houston was co-designed by members of the Disney Imagineering team and it features hundreds of artifacts and exhibits aimed at all ages. spaceflight, and today it supports missions to the International Space Station.Īnd in the early ‘90s it was developed into a must-see museum for space fans! The Eagle has landed,” or “ Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Ever since the Gemini IV mission in 1965 the Johnson Space Center has trained every astronaut and overseen every manned U.S.
Houston Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Texas is the Houston astronauts are referring to when they say, “Houston: Tranquility Base here.
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