Location, travel sites, and nearby hotels are outlined here to make visiting N.A.S.A. Johnson's Space Center in Houston, Texas a more efficient traveling adventure.
In September 1961, NASA established the Johnson Space Center as its primary center for the design, development, and testing of spacecraft. It was an important training facility for astronauts as well as the place where much of the planning and control of space flights took place. The Center made sure any spacecraft was supplied with the necessary medical, engineering and experimental equipment and was responsibile for the selection of the astronauts.
While the center still plays a vital role in the continuing space missions, it is now open to the public as a museum that offers displays concerning many of NASA's achievements, the men and women who braved the vacuum of space and the tragedies that have occurred.
Who doesn't remember Jim Lovell's famous phrase during the Apollo 13 mission, "Houston we have a problem"? A tour of the space center can allow you to see the mission control room where this message was originally heard. This control room is still active and if you are lucky enough to visit during a shuttle mission, you will have a once in a lifetime type of memory to take home with you. If no missions are going on, you can still see the tracking of the various satellites circling the earth. The control room sits away from the main visitors building but there is a tram that can take you to it.
This of course isn't the only interesting thing to see at the Johnson Space Center. They have an IMAX theater that offers various space movies for your enjoyment but hang onto your hat! Between the size of the screen and the vastness of space that seems to engulf you, vertigo can be a (enjoyable) problem.
There are interactive exhibits for kids of all ages and an exhibit that has pictures of the crews as well as the patches and information on every mission flown. You can see how the space suits (and John Glen) have changed over the past forty years. There is a replica of a space shuttle that you can go into and get a feel of the cramped quarters the astronauts live in.
During the Apollo moonwalks, rocks were brought back to earth to be analyzed; these not only can be seen but also touched. Also on exhibit are many of the different types of equipment used during these missions like the lunar landing module and rover.
Out in front of the main entrance is one of the Mercury capsules that actually carried a human into space. This single exhibit often gives visitors a shudder as they realize how much bravery it took for a man to sit in such a small, fragile craft on top of a giant rocket and be hurled into space with the hope of returning back home in one piece.
These are just a few of the things at Johnson Space Center. They also have a gift shop, restaurant and handicap facilities.
For those that don't live in the Houston/Clear Lake area, there are a number of local attractions, restaurants and hotels near by.
The local attractions are almost endless but the spotlight must always stay on the Johnson Space Center, which is located at 1601 NASA Rd. 1, Houston, TX 77058. The Space Center is open everyday with varying hours for Summer and Winter. There is a parking fee of $3.00 and tickets cost $17.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors and $13.95 for children ages 4-11. They do offer group rates and during the summer months, there are often coupons at local grocery stores for discounts on admissions.
The Johnson Space Center is usually a hit for all family members. The hands on, interactive exhibits are especially attractive for the kids, just about everyone loves the movies and even those not interested in space exploration will often enjoy the history and daring of the men and women who have made the United States space program what it is today.
