How to Visit Nasa in Houston, Texas
Best things to explore in Houston is the Nasa Space Center, Texas USA. It is also the official visitor centre of Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Nasa Houston Opening Hours
Mon – Fri – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sat – Sun – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Parking facility is available right in the front of Johnson Space Center.
Visitors can either buy Nasa tickets online or right from the ticket window at the space center entrance. But it is advisable to buy tickets online as there are many other things which you can choose online from the comfort of your home.
What to Expect at Nasa Johnson Space Centre
After entering the space center you will see the guest service center where you will get all information regarding the visitor center and tram tickets.
According to Space Center Houston website the visitor center was opened in 1992.
This model of astronaut was looking so real as if we are up there in space.
The visitors here get to know about different space activities and also get to explore space exhibits and artifacts.
There are more than 400 space exhibits, artifacts and models which visitors can experience.
We ventured into the Star Ship Gallery first where we saw many varities of space suits which were wore by the astronauts in different missions.
We explored the shuttle orbitor crew seat as well as the flight ejection seat.
We saw special moon watches which were wore by the astronauts during their moon mission. After that we witnessed the Apolo Soyuz Docking Module Trainer.
After that we went to explore the Skylab 1-G Trainer exibit. tThis habitable spacecraft was designed to develop methods of living and working in space for long periods. It was also equipped with solar telescopes and served as a experiment station or laboratory to analyse how human body adapts to long duration exposure to a microgravity environment.
After seeing there living condition inside the spaceship It made me think that how difficult conditions were there in a spacecraft for the astronauts.
We also saw Mercury 9 Faith 7 spacecraft along with fuel cell which is a kind of battery in a spacecraft.
We explored the Lunar Rover Mission exibit which was too good and it feels like we were actually on the surface of the moon. The Lunar Rover was equipped with a TV camera, which recorded the astronauts’ exploration of the Moon.
There are many space activities in Nasa for not only children but for adults too. Visitors can check out minerals which are brought from moon and can also get to touch both moon and mars rock pieces. Also visitors can check their weight on mars too.
Nasa Tram Tours
The special feature of Houston Nasa Center is their Tram Tours. Visitors have to collect their Tram boarding pass from the guest center.
There are three types of Tram Tours at NASA Johnson Space Center Houston.
- Historic Mission Control Tour
- Astronaut Training Facility Tour
- George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park Tour
The Historic Mission Control Tour is not included in general admission ticket. This tour can only be purchased as an add-on experience to your general admission tickets.
The Astronaut Training Facility Tour and George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park Tour is included in the cost of general admission.
The above tours can only be explored by the NASA Tram Tours only.
Since 1980, every NASA astronaut has walked the floors of the Astronaut Training Facility at NASA Johnson Space Center.
At Rocket Park we saw the Saturn V rocket which is the tallest, heaviest and most powerful rocket ever flown. From 1967 to 1973 Saturn V rocket have launched 26 astronauts into space with six successful missions landing men on the Moon.
After Tram Tour we visited the Independence Plaza.
Visitors can enter the shuttle replica Independence, mounted on top of the historic and original NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft, and then explore the giant plane. The weight of shuttle carrier aircraft NASA 905 is 159-ton
The shuttle independence weight is 80-ton which is mounted on the top of the boeing aircraft. You will find many activites inside the aircraft. The visitors can begin their journey through the shuttle era by taking the elevator to the top of Independence Plaza to explore the shuttle replica Independence.
After exploring the shuttle we went again to the main building and saw NASA crew portraits where we saw Indian origin Late Kalpana Chawla who was the part of the Columbia Mission which unfortunately broke up catastrophically over north-central Texas while it was returning from an orbital mission.
After that we explored the Mission Briefing Center where retired astronauts shred their space experiences. Visitors will also get to see Nasa Documentaries and other Space Technology movies in the Destiny Theatre which should not be missed.
Visitors can also explore virtual space rides but they are paid service.
After a long tour if you are feeling hungry then there is a food court available here. Visitors can order their food from koisk’s available there.
There are two gift centers here where you can purchase memorabilia, t-shirts, caps and other articles for you memories.
For more information do watch the Nasa Full Tour video below. And do subscribe our youtube channel.
Do check the Johnson Space Center website for ticket booking