Space travel has never been easier, with Virgin Galactic now fully operational and ready to take passengers into space and experience not only zero gravity, but also breath-taking views of the earth.
In the past few months expeditions to and from space were frequently streamed live with millions of people across the globe watching history being made with every successful trip. Nowhere else can the modernisation of space travel be better illustrated than visiting NASA’s Space Center in Houston.
Visitors hopping onto the NASA Tram Tour will get the opportunity to go on site at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and get a close up look at human space exploration. It is located on 1 600 acres which houses the training base and home of astronauts, and the site of the Apollo Mission Control Center, where a cadre of flight controllers support the work of our women and men in space.
JSC has served as a hub of human spaceflight activity for more than half a century. It is home to the nation’s astronaut corps, the International Space Station mission operations, the Orion program, and a host of future space developments. The center plays a pivotal role in enhancing scientific and technological knowledge to benefit all of humankind.
The experience
There are multiple experiences that you may enjoy based on which iconic locations you want to visit and the amount of time you have available. At the George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park, visitors will find three of the remaining actual Saturn V rockets on display, along with other rockets that propelled space exploration.
Flown from 1967 to 1973, the Saturn V rocket launched 26 astronauts into space with six successful missions landing men on the Moon. It also launched Skylab, America’s first space station, into orbit in its final mission. Astronauts could immediately feel the impressive power of Saturn V propelling them through Earth’s atmosphere into orbit.
The Apollo Mission Control centre provides for a surreal experience. Sitting in a small gallery overlooking Mission Control from which NASA-led Gemini and Apollo missions launched, including the momentous first lunar landing mission as well as early space shuttle missions, propels one back into history.
Add a visit to NASA on your list of things to do, get into a space rocket and experience first-hand what it could feel like flying off into space, or maybe one day settling on Mars.
