Space Center Houston is a science museum that serves as the official visitor center of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late ...

in Houston. It was designated a

Smithsonian Affiliate Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian museums and educational and cultural organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions and educational st ...

museum in 2014. The organization is owned by NASA, and operated under a contract by the nonprofit Manned Spaceflight Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The Johnson Space Center is the home of Mission Control and astronaut training. The center opened in 1992 replacing the former Visitor Center in Johnson Space Center Building 2. The museum is and displays over 400 space artifacts, including the Mercury 9, Gemini 5, and

Apollo 17 Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walke ...

space capsules.

Starship gallery

This artifact gallery includes three flown spacecraft, several used in training, and a display of Moon rocks: * Mercury 9 capsule (''Faith 7'') flown by Gordon Cooper in 1963 * Gemini 5 capsule flown by Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad in 1965 *

Command Module ''America'' flown by

Gene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being to ...

, Ronald Evans, and Dr. Harrison " Jack" Schmitt, along with a biological contingent of five mice, orbited the Moon a record 75 times in 1971 during the last crewed Lunar mission *

Lunar Module The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...

test vehicle LTA-8 *

Lunar Roving Vehicle The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program ( 15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972. It is popularly called the Moon buggy, a play on the ...

Trainer * Lunar Samples Vault * Lunar touchstone, one of only eight Moon rocks in the world that can be touched *

Skylab Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations ...

1-G Trainer * Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking module trainer

Independence Plaza

Space Center Houston Shuttle atop Carrler

Space Center Houston is the home of the Independence Plaza exhibit complex. This attraction contains the world's only

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program n ...

replica, where it stands mounted on one of the two original shuttle carrier aircraft. Independence Plaza is the only place where the public can enter both vehicles. The Space Shuttle replica ''Independence'''','' formerly known as ''Explorer'', was previously located at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, but was moved to make way for a new permanent attraction hall for

''Atlantis''. ''Independence'' is now displayed atop the retired

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) are two extensively modified Boeing 747 airliners that NASA used to transport Space Shuttle orbiters. One (N905NA) is a 747-100 model, while the other (N911NA) is a short range 747-100SR. The SCAs were used ...

, NASA 905. On August 14, 2014, a heavy lift called The Rise of Independence was completed to place ''Independence'' on top of NASA 905. The plane was transported to Space Center Houston from Ellington Airport on April 30, 2014. Space Center Houston was briefly considered as a home for one of the retired Space Shuttle orbiters, but the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, and California Science Center were instead selected. A NASA report showing the final scoring showed Space Center Houston finished 10th among 13 museums competing for the three orbiters (not already committed to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum).

Rocket Park

Of the three remaining Saturn V rockets on display, only the one at the Johnson Space Center is made up of segments originally intended for flight. The first stage of this Saturn V rocket is from SA-514 (originally intended for the cancelled Apollo 19), the second stage from SA-515 (originally intended for the cancelled Apollo 20), and the third stage from SA-513, which was not needed after it was replaced by the

workshop. SA-513 was originally scheduled for the cancelled Apollo 18 – the rest of the rocket was used for Skylab. The

Apollo Command/Service Module The Apollo command and service module (CSM) was one of two principal components of the United States Apollo spacecraft, used for the Apollo program, which landed astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. The CSM functioned as a mother sh ...

CSM-115a (intended for Apollo 19) completes the rocket as it would stand on the launchpad. The

Saturn V Saturn V is a retired American super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA under the Apollo program for human exploration of the Moon. The rocket was human-rated, with multistage rocket, three stages, and powered with liquid-propellant r ...

, on loan from the Smithsonian, was displayed outside the Johnson Space Center main entrance from 1977 through 2004. Grants from the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures program, the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

and private contributors funded the restoration by Conservation Solutions of Washington DC with oversight by the Smithsonian. An open air tram tour takes the general public into the Johnson Space Center with stops including building 30 (location of the Historic Mission Operations Control Room 2 and the

Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center NASA's Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center (MCC-H, initially called Integrated Mission Control Center, or IMCC), also known by its radio callsign, Houston, is the facility at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, t ...

), Building 9 (location of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility) and Rocket Park with a restored

rocket.

Mission Mars

The exhibit Mission Mars opened in January 2017 and was developed with the help of NASA. It focuses on the work NASA is doing now to plan for future travel to Mars. Mission Mars teaches visitors about the planet through a variety of activities that transport them to the Martian landscape, including a

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), edu ...

wall, real-time weather forecasts, and a Mars meteorite that guests can touch. Visitors can also see a full-size Orion research capsule, experience an Orion spacecraft simulator, and get a look at the next generation of Mars rovers.

Other attractions

*The Astronaut Gallery showcases a comprehensive collection of spacesuits, including Pete Conrad's

Apollo 12 Apollo 12 (November 14–24, 1969) was the sixth crewed flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969, by NASA from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Commander Charles ...

moonwalk suit. *The lectern that President John F. Kennedy used during his 1962

Rice University Stadium Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera ''Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domesticated, ...

speech reiterating his goal to land an American on the Moon in the 1960s, is exhibited inside Destiny Theater. *The Space Center Theater is a five-story tall

4K resolution 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K UHD) is the domi ...

theater that shows ''EVA 23 and Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo''. *The Destiny Theater has a HD digital screen and shows a short historical film, ''Human Destiny,'' produced by Bob Rogers and BRC Imagination Arts. *The live interactive performance ''Living in Space'', produced by Bob Rogers and BRC Imagination Arts, employs projection mapping technology to assist with the live onstage presentation of daily life on the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...

. *A live program that lets guests become rocket scientists through interactive experiments performed by a center Crew Member. *The Mission Briefing Center features live presentations offering real-time updates on current NASA missions. *International Space Station Gallery provides a look inside the space station. *Talon Park has a pair of NASA T-38 Talon jets greeting visitors at the street entrance to the Space Center Houston campus.

Education

The Manned Space Flight Education Foundation's education department at Space Center Houston is among the nation's leading science-education resources. The programs are based on national science standards and focus on interactive science, technology, and engineering and math (STEM) activities to inspire learning and develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills for all ages, especially as related to human spaceflight and exploration. Programs include: * Day camps * Distance learning * Field trips * Girls STEM Academy * Home School Days * Overnight experiences * Scout Camp-Ins * Sensory Friendly Evenings * Space Center U * Space Exploration Educators Conference * Stars & STEM * Team building for corporations

Gallery

File:Space Center Houston Faith 7.jpg, Mercury ''

Faith 7 Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final crewed space mission of the U.S. Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft, named ''Faith 7'', completed 22 Earth orbits before splashing down in th ...

'', piloted by Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper in 1963 File:‘Gemini 5’ Spacecraft – Space Center Houston. 20-3-2017 (38906784620).jpg, The Gemini 5 space capsule which flew Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad into

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never m ...

in 1965 File:Space Center Houston Apollo 17 CM.jpg,

's Command Module ''America'' flew

, Ronald Evans,

Harrison Schmitt Harrison Hagan Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is an American geologist, retired NASA astronaut, university professor, former U.S. senator from New Mexico, and the most recent living person—and only person without a background in military aviation� ...

, and five mice to the Moon in NASA's last crewed lunar mission, 1971 File:Independence at Space Center Houston.JPG, Independence Plaza File:Apollo 11 Command Module at Space Center Houston 2017.jpg,

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

Command Module ''

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

'' was exhibited at the Space Center in 2017 during a commemorative tour File:Space Center Houston Saturn V.jpg, A rear view of the Saturn V on display File:Space Center Houston Skylab spacewalk.jpg, Skylab training model File:Space Center Houston Rocket Park Saturn V CSM.jpg, Rocket Park File:Space Center Houston March 2022 02 (interior).jpg, Interior of Space Center Houston

References

External links

Space Center Houston Official Site
{{Authority control NASA groups, organizations, and centers Aerospace museums in Texas Museums in Houston Science museums in Texas Tourist attractions in Houston NASA visitor centers Johnson Space Center