Science museum which serves as the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, displaying 400 space artifacts, and permanent and traveling exhibits

How to Get There

Get on I-45 S/Gulf Fwy from Walker St. Continue on I-45 S to Nassau Bay. Continue on Second St.

Overview

Space Center Houston is a science museum which serves as the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Johnson Space Center is the home of Mission Control and astronaut training. The 250,000 square feet museum displays 400 space artifacts, permanent and traveling exhibits, and theaters with a focus on the history of the human spaceflight program. The center also hosts STEM programs for all ages. Independence Plaza The Space Shuttle replica Independence sits atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 905, one of the two Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, with the Johnson Space Center and Rocket Park in the background

Space Center Houston is the home of the one-of-a-kind Independence Plaza exhibit complex. This landmark attraction contains the world's only Space Shuttle replica, where it stands mounted on one of the two original shuttle carrier aircraft. Independence Plaza is the only place where the public can enter both vehicles. Independence is now displayed atop the retired Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, NASA 905.

An open air tram tour takes the general-public into the Johnson Space Center with stops including building 30 (location of the Historic Mission Operations Control Room 2 and the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center), Building 9 (location of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility) and Rocket Park with a restored Saturn V rocket. A five-hour guided tour which adds stops at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility and International Space Station museum is also offered at an additional cost.

Mission Mars

The exhibit Mission Mars opened in January 2017 and was developed with the help of NASA. It focuses on the work NASA is doing now to plan for future travel to Mars. Mission Mars teaches visitors about the planet through a variety of activities that transport them to the Martian landscape, including a virtual reality wall, real-time weather forecasts and a Mars meteorite that guests can touch. Visitors also can see a full-size Orion linkresearch capsule, experience an Orion spacecraft simulator and get a look at the next generation of Mars rovers.

Other Attractions

• The lectern that President John F. Kennedy used during his 1962 Rice University Stadium speech reiterating his goal to land an American on the Moon in the 1960s, is exhibited inside Destiny Theater.
• Space Center Theater is a five-story tall 4K resolution theater that shows EVA 23 and Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo.
• Destiny Theater has a HD digital screen and shows a short historical film, Human Destiny.
• The live interactive performance Living in Space, employs high-tech projection mapping technology to assist with the live onstage educational presentation of daily life on the International Space Station.
• A Stellar Science Show is a live program that lets guests become rocket scientists through interactive experiments performed by a center Crew Member.
• Mission Briefing Center features live presentations offering real-time updates on current NASA missions.
• The center offers an opportunity to have "Lunch with an Astronaut" for an extra cost.
• International Space Station Gallery provides a look inside the space station – from interactive live shows to a Robonaut and actual flown space station artifacts.
• Talon Park has a pair of NASA T-38 Talon jets greeting visitors at the street entrance to the Space Center Houston campus.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Space Center Houston", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0