Enter Space Center Houston and discover the future!

   Your first stop on this cosmic journey should be a tram tour, which will take you behind the scenes of NASA. Observe history in the making on the 75-minute tour of the Johnson Space Center astronaut training facilities. You will visit the fascinating Space Environment Simulation Laboratory as well as the Mock-Up and Integration Laboratory. On the Control Tour (45 minutes), you will see the historic Mission Control Center from behind an enormous wall of glass.

    When a shuttle is flying, you will see the new Space Station Operations Control Room where missions are run from seconds after launch to landing. At the next stop, enjoy a close-up view of the X-38 being built. This is the new emergency spacecraft designed, if needed, to return the ISS (International Space Station) Crew to earth. At the final stop, you will have the opportunity to stand at the base of the incredible Apollo 13 moon rocket.

    Don't miss the bus tour to the underwater weightless training facility. You will view astronauts who will build and fly on the International Space Station practice constructing a mock-up of the ISS underwater! A bus is provided to this facility during peak times, but it can also be reached by car.

    Upon returning to the Space Center Houston site, be sure to visit the New Exhibits, The Moon Rock Vault with the world's largest collection of moon rocks, the Skylab Trainer, and the Mission Status Center.

Tips for visiting Space Center Houston
with Children

• If possible, visit the center during off-season times such as a 3-day holiday in fall or winter to avoid the crowds and the heat.
• Allow about 6 hours to visit the center and to take the tram tour.
• Ample parking is available at the center.
• A large bright food court is located at the site.
• An IMAX theater features spectacular films.
• Kids' Space Place is an interactive area where young children can experience the space program first hand.

Highlight for children (of all ages)

     Entering the vault where you are surrounded by rocks from the moon to reach into a special cylinder to touch a 3.8 billion year old moon rock is an unforgettable experience!