Houston Space Center in Houston Texas
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, more commonly known as Houston Space Center, is one of the premier attractions in Texas’s largest city. It serves as NASA’s epicenter for human spaceflight training, research, and flight control. A visit offers an awe-inspiring journey into the wonders of space exploration.
Located just 25 miles southeast of downtown Houston, Space Center Houston is the visitor center component of the Johnson Space Center. Visitors can tour the center’s History Gallery and Starship Gallery exhibits detailing NASA’s past and future missions. One of the most popular experiences is a tram tour which takes guests through the actual working Johnson Space Center to get an insider’s view.
Highlights of the tram tour include visiting the historic Mission Control room where flight controllers orchestrated missions from Gemini and Apollo to the Space Shuttle era. Visitors can stand at the consoles and pretend to “go for launch” just like real NASA controllers. The tour also swings by the training facilities where astronauts learn skills like operating robots or repairing things in space. One of the coolest stops is the mammoth Building 9 maintenance facility where guests can meet astronauts and view gigantic rockets being assembled.
Back at Space Center Houston, other exhibits let visitors walk through a replica of the shuttle Independence, climb aboard a shuttle simulator, or touch a real moon rock collected by Apollo astronauts. The center also offers an immersive astronomy experience at the Independence Plaza with shows in a digital dome theater. Guests are also encouraged to book a Lunch with an Astronaut for a special opportunity to dine and chat with a veteran space explorer about their journeys.
Space Center Houston is not just about the past glory days either. Exhibits look to the future exploration of Mars and space tourism too. NASA’s cutting-edge spaceflight innovations are highlighted as well, showing off the hard work being done today to take humans even deeper into the cosmos. Visitors gain a sense of NASA’s exciting upcoming missions, such as returning to the Moon and one day sending astronauts to the red planet.
Easy to reach from downtown Houston, Space Center Houston is open daily making it the perfect destination for locals and tourists alike. Visitors should plan to spend at least half a day fully exploring the educational and inspiring exhibits throughout the galactic grounds. The Houston Space Center offers a stellar glimpse into the intrigue of space and what it’s like to be part of a NASA mission. From past achievements to future dreams of distant worlds, this site is truly a remarkable gateway to the wonders of space.
