Although the era of U.S. space shuttles is set to end with a final launch in mid 2011, boomers and seniors have watched a half century of space exploration via TV and movies. Today everyone can experience the place where the moon, suborbital and orbital missions originated on tours of the Kennedy Space Center, along the coast of central Florida less than an hour’s drive east of Orlando.
Visitors can choose to drive themselves to Cape Canaveral or to sign up for a tour from Cocoa Beach just north of the Space Center. Once in the vicinity, there are two- to three-hour comprehensive bus tours that show off the launch areas, the apparatus used in different launches, the vehicle assembly area, an IMAX theater, a flight simulator and historic exhibits.
Space Launch Pads Plus Astronaut Hall of Fame
There is also a separate U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame located en route to the Space Center Complex, as well as an interactive stage show based on the Star Trek series, special children’s areas and dining locations.
According to Jillian McRae, a spokesperson for the Space Complex, about 1.5 million people visit Cape Canaveral every year. It was established on an island wildlife refuge separated from the mainland by the Indian River. The complex is open at 9 a.m. daily year round except for Christmas Day and launch days.
For many the highlight of a tour of the complex is the “Shuttle Launch Experience,” a simulator which gives participants the feel of being boosted into space by an incredibly powerful rocket. The complex has four simulators, each of which holds 44 people and “immerses visitors in the sights, sounds and feelings of a space shuttle launch, designed under the guidance of NASA and veteran space shuttle astronauts,” in the words of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the company that has managed the visitors center since 1995.
The simulator and the Apollo/Saturn V center, which houses a fully restored massive Saturn V moon rocket, are among the most attractions of the giant complex. Admission to the space center and the Hall of Fame costs $43 plus tax for adults and $33 plus tax for children ages 3-11.
Unlike the theme parks in Orlando, the Kennedy Space Center complex is not a re-creation but the real thing, a working area that houses the Launch Control Center for NASA engineers, along with launch pads, a shuttle landing facility, “rocket gardens” containing vintage Mercury, Gemini and Apollo rockets and historic early space capsules.
Throughout the year, there are events involving astronauts, a children’s space camp and other activities.
Sources
- NASA
- Kennedy Space Center
- Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
Grace Lichtenstein - I prefer "seasoned" to "senior" but whatever term you use, I have been an outdoor adventurer for most of my adult years. I am a cycling ...
