A Day at Kennedy Space Center
- June 18, 2013
- Bradley Taylor
Just under an hour north of Melbourne, the Kennedy Space Center is a must see for residents and visitors alike. As the headquarters for NASA launches and home of the Space Shuttle program, the Kennedy Space Center is an open and operating government building. With more than 10,000 employees, the Center is hustling and bustling every day and is an exciting place to visit.
A visit to the Center includes a variety of exhibits and tours and would take multiple trips to see them all. Some of the highlights of the Center include two IMAX theaters with five-story screens and 3D special effects. Current films playing are Hubble 3-D and Space Station 3-D. Both run approximately 45 minutes. Visitors can also come face to face with an astronaut at the “Lunch With an Astronaut”encounter and then check out the Astronaut Training Experience and see what its like to prepare for space launch and feel the 3g force of spaceflight.
After ten years in the making, a new attraction is opening on June 29th, the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The historic spacecraft Atlantis now sits in an over $100 million dollar, 90,000 square-foot exhibit. This attraction will provide a 360-degree view of the worn shuttle from a number of different levels. This attraction includes over 60 interactive exhibits along with a look into the 30 year Space Program. For the celebration of the grand opening of Space Shuttle Atlantis, visitors will see the shuttle with payload bay doors open (like when the shuttle is in space) and over forty astronauts will be onsite for the ceremony and to attend lunch with an astronaut, sign autographs, and take photos.
Among the many sights and experiences available to visitors at the Kennedy Space Center, there are various admission prices and tour fees. General admission begins at $40 for children (ages 3 to 11), seniors at $46 (55+), and adults at $50. Members of the military enjoy special discounts and benefits, check out the Center website for details. Tour fees for Cape Canaveral: Then & Now Tour and KSC Up-Close Tours are $25 each for adults and $19 for children. The Mega Tour is $40 for adults and $30 for children and finally Lunch with an Astronaut is $29.99 for adults and $15.99 for children. It is important to note the tour and experience prices are in addition to the cost of general admission.
Take a day or three and come and check out all that the Kennedy Space Center has to offer. It will be a visit to remember and may inspire some of our nation’s future astronauts!
