Space Center Houston and NASA/Johnson Space Center
1601 NASA Rd. 1, in Clear Lake about 25 mi. from downtown Houston, (281) 244-2100. June-July daily 10-7; Aug-May M-F 10-5, Sat-Sun 10-6. $19, seniors $18, 4-11 $15; parking $5.
Houston is known as "Space City USA," and its name was the first word spoken on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong said, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." And the rest is literally history. Space Center Houston is the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center; it is a separate facility located outside the gates. The two centers together are the most popular attraction in the Houston area. Exhibits and activities were designed by NASA and Disney Imagineering in a joint effort, and so there are plenty of exhibits and interactive displays that interest both adults and children. Don’t miss the Starship Gallery Artifact Museum, where you can touch a moon rock (the only place on Earth you can do this!), or the simulator that lets you land the lunar orbiter. The center also has the largest IMAX in Texas. The NASA/Johnson Space Center offers a 1 1/2-hour tram tour (reservations advised) that goes to the gigantic International Space Station Assembly Building and to the NASA control center, where you might see live activity aboard a current shuttle.
image copyright 2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
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