virtually every bit of hardware associated with the
Apollo program from the Lunar Lander to one of
the diminutive (for the 60's) TV cameras used to
broadcast from the moon.
The Visitor Complex's newest addition is its most
exciting, the Shuttle Atlantis. Suspended so
close you can almost touch it, it is surrounded
by some of the other amazing achievements it
made possible, from a full-size Hubble telescope
to sections of the International Space Station.
For those who dare, there is the Shuttle Launch
Experience. Just imagine experiencing a Shuttle
launch with a group of other passengers in the
payload bay, swinging up to for the vertical takeoff
and then lifting off with all the vibration, noise and
even sensation of G-forces from an actual launch.
One of the tour guides confessed that it was a
slightly too realistic at first and had been tamed
down a bit. Still, there was little the theme parks
down the road in Orlando could offer to compete
with this incredibly realistic simulator.
America is, indeed, back in the space business. The
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is far more
than an exhibition commemorating spaceflight's
rich, exciting, and admittedly sometimes tragic
history. It is one of the world's only museums that
celebrates the future, as well as the past.
If you go…
The KSC Visitor's Complex is about an hour from
Orlando (with buses available from the popular
hotels) or thirty minutes from Cocoa Beach. One-
day tickets are $50/adult and $40 children with
multi-day tickets $75/$60, well worth considering
because it would be very hard to fit the entire visit
into one day. All the exhibits, the IMAX theater and
a bus tour of the Space Center are included. An
Up-Close tour, far more extensive (and fun) than
the basic bus tour is an additional $25/$19.
For more info visit: www.kennedyspacecenter.com
STRIKING A POSE IN FRONT OF A SHUTTLE
FEATURE
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