They Still Perform Launches!

On July 21, 2011, the final space shuttle mission came to and end when Atlantis rolled to a stop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center east of Orlando, Florida, marking the completion of the 30-year shuttle era. As NASA works on developing new technology for space exploration, including a vessel to send humans to Mars, it fell out of the spotlight for a bit but the Kennedy Space Center will still be a major destination for space exploration lovers everywhere.  Rocket are still launched from Kennedy so if you plan your flight to Orlando accordingly (the next launch is set for March 14th), you can still have the opportunity watch something amazing as one heads out into space.

This year marks the Space Center’s 50th anniversary and several attractions and experiences reflect the program’s rich history. The Apollo/Saturn V Center pays homage to the brave astronauts that were part of the Apollo missions of the 60’s and 70’s, with a massive Saturn V rocket serving as the centerpiece. In place of the usual water garden or plant atrium, Kennedy Space Center features a fantastic rocket garden where visitors can view the exact Atlas, Titan, and Redstone rocket that sent early astronauts in space or climb inside the cramped quarters of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space capsules, pondering what it must have been for those brave astronauts a half a century ago.  

One unique aspect of the Kennedy Space Center is the Astronaut Encounter. Astronauts, many of them world famous, speak every day, answering a variety of questions about space exploration coming from the visitors themselves. Where else can you ask a man or a woman who has actually spent time outside the earth’s atmosphere all those perplexing questions about human space flight? If face time with an astronaut is one of your dreams, than consider having Lunch with an astronaut. For $24.99, participants receive a full lunch, listen to personal accounts from the astronaut, and meet a veteran member of NASA’s veteran astronaut corps.  

If you have always dreamt of heading out into space the Astronaut Training Experience, ATX, is definitely for you. For $145, you can spend a half day experiencing mission and training simulators, hearing from veteran NASA astronauts, and getting hands-on experience in what it is like to be an astronaut in training. For the same price per person, families with children ages seven and up can enjoy some bonding time together as they ride simulators, work together to execute mock space missions, and build and launch their own rockets. If an experience like that doesn’t create memories that will last a lifetime, I don’t know what will!

Photo:  tedeytan