Kennedy Space Center
Astronaut Encounter
Guests to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will now have the opportunity to come face-to-face with a real astronaut every day of the year. This innovative program consists of question and answer sessions, mission briefings, video footage, space artifacts and personal stories of space travel as told by those who have lived it. Various astronauts from throughout space history are scheduled to appear including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle astronauts.
A Journey Into Space: The Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit
It’s not everyday that you come within a few feet of a space shuttle that has orbited the Earth for over 25 years.
When you visit Kennedy Space Center, and specifically the Atlantis Exhibit, this fantasy becomes a reality.
When you enter the building you walk to an upper level doorway where a countdown clock ticks away.
In only a few minutes you will experience more than you can imagine.
An introduction and compilation video on all things Atlantis is played to you and your fellow tour mates.
Shuttle Launch Experience
The floor rumbles and roars as the space shuttle gets to blastoff speed. Minutes later, the vehicle pitches forward suddenly at engine cutoff, showing a serene view of Earth. Kennedy Space Center's shuttle launch simulator is as close to outer space as most people will ever get.
Early Space Exploration
Located in an adjoining wing to the Dr. Kurt H. Debus Conference Facility is Early Space Exploration. This walk-through exhibit provides visitors with a comprehensive history of key missions that provided the foundation for our current space program. Highlights include Mercury Mission Control Room-- containing the actual Mercury Mission Control consoles and components from which all of America's first eight manned missions were monitored and authentic Mercury and Gemini capsules.
Exploration Space: Explorers Wanted
Visitors will be immersed into an environment of discovery and exploration beyond our home planet. Live theater, interactive experiences and large scale multimedia presentations display what the future of space travel may look like, emphasizing that space exploration is not just about the hardware, but about the people behind the technology that make it all possible.
International Space Station Center
The future is happening now at the Kennedy Space Center! Walk through full-scale mock-ups of space station modules and visit the viewing gallery, where you can see actual space station components being readied for flight.
IMAX 3D Theater
Two different larger-than-life films take you on an awe-inspiring journey into space on screens over five stories tall! Dramatic footage, photographed in space by the astronauts, give each of the IMAXВ® films an exciting "you are there" feeling.
Apollo / Saturn 5 Center
Featuring an actual 363-foot, 6.2 million pound Saturn V moon rocket, with a dramatic recreation of the first manned Apollo launch, and hands-on exhibits, the Apollo/Saturn V Center brings to life the U.S. space program's missions to the moon.
LC 39 Observation Gantry
Get a bird's-eye view of today's space adventures from this 60-foot observation tower, where you'll have an unobstructed view of the space shuttle launch pads. On the ground, film presentations and exhibits tell the amazing story of shuttle processing, from landing to launch.
Kennedy Space Center Tour
Board an air-conditioned bus and observe first-hand the Apollo/Saturn V Center, the LC 39 Observation Gantry and the International Space Station Center. Guided bus tours depart each day (except Christmas Day and certain launch days) beginning at 9:30 a.m., and leave continuously throughout the day, with the last bus leaving approximately four hours before closing.
Gift Shop
The Space Shop is the world's largest store devoted entirely to space memorabilia, gifts and collectibles. There are over 8,000 space-related items that will entice space enthusiasts of all ages - from the first-time visitor to the serious collector. Don't forget to take a peek inside The Space Shop ~ our On-Line Gift Shop.
Launch Status Center
Catch up-to-the-minute live mission briefings presented every hour while surrounded by spectacular Shuttle models and educational displays. This is a great way to get a live, behind-the-scenes peek into what is happening on the ground at Kennedy Space Center as well as in outer space!
Rocket Garden
See the rockets that launched astronauts and machines into space including a Mercury Redstone, similar to the one that carried Alan Shepard into space. Another special vehicle in the collection is an awe-inspiring Mercury Atlas identical to the rocket that carried John Glenn into space for America's first orbit.
Space Shuttle Plaza
Imagine working aboard a real space shuttle and floating in space as you enter inside the space shuttle Explorer - a full-sized replica of a NASA shuttle orbiter. You'll see the Flight Deck, where astronauts fly the orbiter during actual launch and landings, and the Mid-deck, where shuttle crews work on experiments, sleep and eat.
Astronaut Memorial
The names of the seventeen U.S. astronauts who gave their lives for space exploration are carved into the face of this polished black granite monument. The beautiful 60 ton structure tracks the movement of the sun through the sky, resulting in an effect that suspends the astronauts'names in the brilliantly reflected sky.
Robot Scouts
"Starquester 2000," a whimsical, quick-witted cousin of the Mars Pathfinder, guides visitors through this walkthrough exhibit of NASA's past, present and future robotic space explorers. "Starquester 2000" lightheartedly interacts with other space probes like Viking Mars Lander and Hubble Telescope, to explain how robotic space
exploration is paving the way for humans to follow.
Restaurants
Enjoy meals at the Orbit Cafe. Or do a moonwalk over to the Moon Rock Cafe (at Apollo/Saturn V Center) . Tour destination eateries Space Dots,Milky Way and G-Force Grill provide lighter fare. Numerous specialty concession Carts are available for refreshments are also conveniently located around the
facility.
Receive a 2nd Day Free which is only valid for the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame when used within seven days from it's first day of use.
Kennedy Space Center Tour Options
