Space Center Houston - What to Expect
Thinking about going to Space Center Houston?
In this blog, I’ll cover expect and what you need to know.
Table of Contents:
SPACE CENTER HOUSTON AND ME
Space Center Houston! Bucket List alert!
Star Wars vs. Star Trek.
Battlestar Galactica vs. Buck Rogers.
If you grew up in the 1970s like me, you know those are worthy debates. It was hard not to be fascinated with space exploration as a kid and as a young adult. I remember the moment the Challenger exploded in 1986, and waited anxiously as Tom Hanks said “Houston, we have a problem” in Apollo 13. There’s no debate that for me and many folks in my generation, Space Center Houston is an obvious “bucket list” destination.
This wasn’t my first rodeo in Houston though. I first visited Space Center Houston in 1993 and remember falling in love with it then during a short visit. My scrapbook from that year contains my admission ticket ($9.95), a few photos (including one of me in a space helmet), and a receipt for an Astronaut Ice Cream Sandwich ($2.50) and a NASA navy koozie ($1.95). I paid for everything with cash, btw.
Space Center Houston - my 1993 scrapbook shows that admission was $9.95
More of my 1993 scrapbook, which included a trip to Space Center Houston
PREPARING TO VISIT SPACE CENTER HOUSTON
Today, the price of admission to Space Center Houston has tripled ($29.95), and pretty much everything can be booked online. The place is always ranked high on most “THINGS TO DO” lists (it’s #1 on TripAdvisor). We planned to spend nearly the entire day at Space Center Houston on a weekday in December, hoping to avoid the crowds.
We downloaded the Space Center Houston mobile app ahead of time. During our thirty-minute drive to the center, I read through some of the mobile app content aloud to Kasie so that we would know more about what to expect in advance. We arrived right when the center opened at 10:00 am, and quickly got in the “virtual line” for one of the tram tours. The tram tours take visitors away from the museum and off-site to other NASA buildings. At the time of our visit, there were two tram tours available: one tram tour took visitors to the historic NASA Mission Control building and another tram tour took visitors to the Astronaut Training Facility and to Rocket Park (more on both below).
Pro Tip: Tram Tours fill up quickly. Visitors must be physically present at Space Center Houston to get in the “virtual line” for a tram tour. I recommend getting in line as soon as you arrive at the center.
According to the website, Space Center Houston is home to “over 400 space artifacts, permanent and traveling exhibits, exhibits and experiences and theaters related to the exciting future and remarkable past of America’s human space-flight program.” Even if someone spends seven hours (420 minutes) at the center, that’s only about one minute for each thing. A visitor cannot possibly see everything in a single day, and it is hard not to get overwhelmed with the vast amount of information in the place. Thus, I’m going to try to hit the highlights on things I think visitors won’t want to miss.
Spoiler Alert: We loved Space Center Houston so much that we went back on another day for the winter evening Galaxy Lights display (cost $29.95/person).
HIGHLIGHTS OF SPACE CENTER HOUSTON
THE SPACESUITS
Like any space museum, there are a number of spacesuits on display, including (1) Pete Conrad’s Apollo 12 spacesuit that he wore to the moon (hello, moondust!), (2) Michael Collin’s Apollo 11 bioisolation garment that he wore during quarantine after the mission, (3) Wally Schirra’s in-flight Apollo 7 coveralls, and (4) John Young’s space suit from the inaugural mission of Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981. Not surprisingly, my favorites spacesuits were those worn by two women:
Sally Ride
Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. On display in Space Center Houston’s Astronaut Gallery is a pair of Ride’s in-flight coveralls. Sally was also the first lesbian in space, although she did not come out during her lifetime.
Judith Resnik
Judith was the second American woman in space and a fellow 1978 NASA classmate of Sally Ride. Resnik logged 145 hours in orbit, but died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. On display at Space Center Houston is Resnik’s T-38 flight training suit.
Fun “Fact”: Growing up, I thought that that “Ride Sally Ride” by Al Green had something to do with Sally Ride. It does not, but I still sing that song when I think of her.
Sally Ride’s in-flight coveralls at Space Center Houston
Judith Resnik’s flight training suit at Space Center Houston
Women were never officially recognized as part of an astronaut training group by NASA until that Class of 1978, even though they helped pave the way into space. Starting in 1960, thirteen American women took part in a privately funded physiological screening tests by William Randolf Lovelace II, which he called the “Women in Space Program.” One of those women, Geraldyn (Jerrie) Cobb, coined the term “Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees" or FLATS for themselves. Several of those women later testified before Congress in hearings about gender discrimination that later lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that made such actions illegal. This group of women was later known as “Mercury 13.”
Fun Fact: Mary Wallace Funk (a/k/a Wally Funk), one of the women of Mercury 13, became the oldest person to fly in space at the age of 82 in 2021. William Shatner broke her record at age 90 later that same year.
With the Artemis program, NASA also has the goal to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon's surface sometime in the mid-2020s (more on that below). Suffice it to say that I hope to come back to Space Center Houston some day and see an even greater diversity of spacesuits and astronauts.
NASA’S TIMELINE
If you aren’t up-to-date on NASA history (and have the time), my recommendation is to start in the Starship Gallery’s “Mercury to Apollo” exhibit. Specifically, start with the large timeline display that chronicles the Mercury (1958-1963), Gemini (1961-1966), and Apollo (1961-1972) Project missions. Since 1965, the astronaut crews have designed their own patches to wear, and several patches are on display at the bottom of the display. The display cabinet also houses a number of antiquated artifacts from those early years, including:
Apollo mission data acquisition camera. Today’s basic smart phone probably takes better photos than this bulky 15mm camera. These artifacts remind me just how far technology has come.
Piece of the Apollo 12 Heat Shield. Most of the shield burns away because of the extreme heat during reentry.
Apollo Pressure Garment Boots. These boots were worn during space walks, and were covered by a thermal protective layer.
Jim Irwin’s Apollo 15 moonwalk glove. This glove was actually on the moon!
Fun Fact: Pete Conrad and Gordon Cooper designed the first NASA patch for the Gemini V Mission (1965), which features a covered wagon with the words “8 Days or Bust.” The covered wagon represents space being America’s new frontier and eight days referred to the time needed for a trip to the moon and back.
STARSHIP GALLERY
If you don’t have time for a history lesson (or don’t care about history) and just want to see cool space stuff, the Starship Gallery is also the place to start. There, visitors can find:
Skylab Training Module at Space Center Houston with creepy mannequin.
Skylab Training Module
Although America’s first space station, Skylab, disintegrated as it reentered the Earth’s atmosphere in 1979, the huge Skylab training module is on display at Space Center Houston. Some really creepy old mannequins depict astronauts Jack Lousma taking a shower and Owen Garriott getting ready to eat some food out of a can. The mannequins look like they were probably made in the 1970s too.
Mercury 9 “Faith 7” space capsule
Space Center Houston has the actual space capsule that Gordon Cooper flew into space in 1963. On the 20th orbit around the earth, Cooper had to switch from autopilot to manual control. He had to make his own calculations to position the vehicle, using his watch and drawing lines on the windows to stay aligned with the star constellation. NASA double checked his work, and he was able to survive the mission and land safely.
Gemini V spacecraft
Space Center Houston has the actual spacecraft that Pete Conrad and Cordon Cooper manned in 1965 during the “8 Days or Bust” mission. (Note: My understanding is that Conrad and Cooper did not do a spacewalk on this mission though, so this display would appear to depict the first US Astronaut space walk by Ed White during the Gemini 4 mission in June 1965).
Saturn V Rocket model
Space Center Houston displays a 1/10 scale model of the Saturn V rocket that helped launch six missions to the moon as well as Skylab from 1967-1963. (A real Saturn V rocket is on display at Rocket Park, which is accessible by tram. More on that below….)
Apollo 17 Command Module
Space Center Houston has the actual command module carried the final crew of the Apollo Program, which was the last time American astronauts when to the moon. Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ron Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt were on this mission.
Apollo 17 Lunar Diorama
This diorama depicts Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Jack Schmitt in space suits on the moon. The “waving” flag in the diorama is pretty much like the one left on the moon. The astronauts were able to make the American flag wave even though there is no wind on the moon because the astronauts attached a rod across the top of the flag. Three lunar roving vehicles like the one in the diorama were left at the moon so that the weight of the spacecraft would be equal during its outbound and return trips. The diorama also includes a lunar surface UV camera, an identical one of which was also left on the moon.
Apollo-Soyuz Docking Module Trainer
In 1975, the US developed a decompression chamber to allow the Russians to come aboard the Apollo in the first ever international mission called Apollo-Soyuz. At Space Center Houston, there’s a creepy mannequin depicting Tom Stafford reaching out to give the Russians a handshake in the module trainer.
Moon Rocks!
The center contains a few large moon rocks on display, including Basalt #15555, Lunar Breccia #15498, Lunar Anorthocite #60015, and Lunar Breccia #76015. These are displayed in a “clean” room filled with inert nitrogen because the earth’s atmosphere would degrade the rocks. As someone with a chemical engineering background, I got pretty excited about these little rocks! Moon rocks ROCK!
Lunar Diorama at Space Center Houston
Apollo-Soyuz Docking Module Trainer at Space Center Houston
Moon Rocks on Display at Space Center Houston
Fun Fact: NASA started using stripes on space suits so that Mission Control could tell the astronauts apart.
OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS
Located adjacent to main building of Space Center Houston, an outdoor area contained two main exhibits during our visit.
Independence Plaza at Space Center Houston
Independence Plaza
Just off the Starship Gallery are some doors that lead to an original NASA 905 aircraft which supports a replica of the Space Shuttle Independence. Visitors can use stairs or an elevator to access the various levels, including the shuttle flight deck and the living quarters. The interior of the NASA 905 aircraft showcases the history and development of the shuttle program, including crazy piggy-backing idea that gave rise to the shuttle program.
SpaceX Falcon 9
Walk just a little farther to see a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which is really the future of space travel. This rocket, which was used on two missions back in 2017 was made by Elon Musk’s commercial SpaceX company. This was the first time NASA allowed a reusable rocket stage. The rocket has landing legs that deploy as part of landing…just like in the movies. The second photo below shows the SpaceX Falcon 9 during our second trip to Space Center Houston to see the Galaxy Lights.
SpaceX Falcoln 9 rocket at Space Center Houston
SpaceX Falcoln 9 Rocket during the Galaxy Lights display
TRAM TOURS
Space Center Houston offers tram tours to explore a few more parts of the NASA complex. Depending on the time of year and how busy it is, there will be two or three different trams running to take visitors to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. During our visit, there were only two trams running (the blue tram and white tram). These trams will take visitors to:
Mission Control at Space Center Houston
Mission Control Building Tram Tour
As the flight control room for Apollo 11 and the first moon landing, the room was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Visitors are invited to sit in seats where the families of crew members and press watched the missions, complete with gray ashtrays on the back of the seats. Furnishings on the mission control consoles include various notebooks, manuals, pens, maps, headsets, and of course ashtrays! Everything from the wallpaper to the ceiling tiles also look authentic. The presentation largely consists of an audio-visual reenactment of the moon landing just like the families would have seen it real time. Large projection screens depict the lunar module’s flight path and position of the astronauts themselves. I got goose bumps when you hear Neil Armstrong declare “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Pro Tip: If you only have time for one tram tour, do the one to Mission Control!
Astronaut Training Facility Tram Tour
Visitors look through a large plexiglass window onto a huge room filled with all sorts of equipment, prototypes, experiments and who knows what. During our visit, we a handful of scientists working on different projects, including Valkyrie, NASA’s next generation of humanoid robot also known as R5. Yes, we saw ROBOTS! That was super cool, but do you know what was even cooler? Seeing what appeared to be a STORMTROOPER helmet in the astronaut training facility. Let the conspiracy theories begin, folks!
Scientists work on a humanoid robot known as R5 at the NASA Astronaut Training Facility
NASA scientist works in the Astronaut Training Facility. But is that a STORMTROOPER helmet nearby?
Rocket Park Tram Tour
A huge building with an outline of the Saturn V rocket painted on its exterior tells visitors exactly what to expect inside. However, seeing the massive Saturn V rocket up close gives visitors an out-of-this-world perspective. This rocket is nearly identical to one of the 13 rockets launched into space to help reach the moon. There are two rockets outside of the building: (1) Little Joe II (1963-1955), which was used to test the Apollo/Saturn V launch escape system and isn’t so “little” and (2) Mercury-Redstone (1960-1961), which was used to propel the first American astronauts into space.
Saturn V Rocket on the tram tour at Space Center Houston (left) and the building during the day and during Galaxy Lights (right)
Little Joe II and Mercury-Redstone Rockets at Rocket Park (Space Center Houston tram tour)
Pro Tip: Watch out for an alligator in small ditch next to the tram tour loading area. We saw him and later learned that his name was MECO!
THE FUTURE OF SPACE TRAVEL
Several sections of Space Center Houston highlight the future of space exploration. These sections include:
International Space Station
The ISS is in both NASA’s past, present, and future. Operational since 2000, ISS has hosted astronauts and research conducted by the United States, Russia, Europe, and Canada. There are some interesting displays showing the toilet, sleeping quarters, and weightless gym used by ISS astronauts.
International Space Station exhibit at Space Center Houston
Space Toilet, Astronaut Sleep Station, and Weightless Gym on the International Space Station
Artemis Mission exhibits at Space Center Houston
Project Artemis
Space Center Houston includes a number of brightly lit panels that explain how NASA plans to return humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years as part of its Artemis missions. This time, NASA’s plan is to land at the South Pole of the moon (X marks the spot!).
One objective of the Artemis Project is to make sure that a woman and person of color land on the lunar surface. If I were a young girl visiting Space Center Houston today, it would be hard not to picture myself as a future astronaut!
The splashdown of Artemis I had just occurred on a couple of weeks before our visit on December 11, 2022 so seeing the Artemis exhibits was particularly timely. After visiting Space Center Houston, I’m certainly going to be monitoring the progress of the program much closer and with great anticipation.
Orion Spacecraft replica
Unlike the space capsules used previously for the Apollo/Mercury/Gemini missions, the Orion capsule that will be used for Project Artemis is reusable. An Orion replica is on display at Space Center Houston, and it’s fun to climb inside of it.
Mission Mars
Did you know that the distance to Mars is about 150-200 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon? Yet, Space Center Houston made me feel like a trip to Mars might actually happen in my lifetime because there are several interactive exhibits on Mars. We learned about the weather on Mars (Kasie does her best weatherman impersonation below), what farms on Mars might grow, gravity on Mars, and I even got to touch a rock from Mars!
Kasie explains the weather on Mars at Space Center Houston
Touching Mars at Space Center Houston
GALAXY LIGHTS at SPACE CENTER HOUSTON
Although we spent most of an entire day at Space Center Houston, it felt like there was so much more to see and do. I talked Kasie into paying another $29.95/person so that we could experience the Galaxy Lights event, which ran from 6 pm to 10 pm each evening during the 2022 holidays. (Note: The price was $19.95 prior to Christmas, but then increased during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day when we visited.)
Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston
Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston - Planet Display
Although we arrived at Space Center Houston shortly after 6 pm, a huge line to get into Galaxy Lights had already formed, and we didn’t start our journey until nearly 6:20 pm. We quickly went to the Independence Plaza and SpaceX Falcon 9 outdoor areas, where saw colorfully lighted planets, astronauts, shooting stars, and other space-themed decorations along a dedicated path. Festive music played in the background, and folks really did get in the spirit.
Podium that JFK used during his "Moon Speech” at Rice University
In the main atrium inside the building, we watched a kinetic light show where dozens of suspended lights move in precise choreographed sequences to music. We also had enough time to catch the “Holidays in Space” film in the Destiny Theatre with real footage of astronauts celebrating the holidays. That room also holds the podium where John F. Kennedy gave is famous moon speech at Rice University on September 12, 1962. I got chills seeing and thinking about his words:
“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”
Just seven years after President Kennedy uttered those words, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the Moon.
Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston. (We had to take about 100 photos to get this one with out any people photo-bombing it!)
I’m glad that we went to Galaxy Lights, but I would not do it again. The stream of people moved quite slowly with all of the selfies and photo ops. There were just too many people to get good photos where there weren’t other people in the background. By the time we got through the light displays, we had to fight the crowds again to see the actual scientific and historical exhibits at Space Center Houston. Those crowds didn’t start to peter out until about 9 pm.
As for the lights themselves, they are pretty amazing, but I’m not sure they are worth the high price of admission. (I think the ones at Rocky Pond in my hometown are better….and they are free 😊.) For me, there is much more value is seeing the regular exhibits on display.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Space Center Houston is a true “bucket list” experience. It is one of my favorite museums of all time. Some people can spend a couple of hours there, take some good selfies, and be happy. It’s great for science geeks, history buffs, and anyone with a little imagination who likes to think about “what ifs” in the future. For folks like me who want take a deeper dive, the place does not disappoint either.
If you are in the Houston area, make Space Center Houston a “must do” on your itinerary.
