What is special about the Kennedy Space Center?

It is the base for Space Shuttle launch and landing operations. Every manned mission to space has departed from NASA Kennedy Space Center.. Over the years, it has evolved to become the starting point for hundreds of scientific and applications spacecraft.

What are some fun facts about the Kennedy Space Center?

Why do people visit Kennedy Space Center?

Visit Attractions

Kennedy Space Center is home to entertaining and educational attractions. Some of the major attractions at Kennedy Space center include Rocket Garden, U.S Astronaut Hall of Fame, Apollo/Saturn V Center, Space Shuttle Atlantis and many more. Visit all for a wholesome experience!

What makes the Kennedy Space Center an important place and site?

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has played a pivotal role in NASA's mission, having been the departure site for the first human journey to the moon; the starting point for hundreds of scientific, commercial, and applications spacecraft; and as the base for Space Shuttle launch and landing operations.

What does the Kennedy Space Center have?

Kennedy Space Center is home to many real historic and current space exploration vehicles, including the actual space shuttle Atlantis, a Saturn V Moon rocket, the Apollo 14 Kitty Hawk capsule in Apollo Treasures Gallery, the Mercury Sigma 7 capsule and the Gemini 9 capsule in Heroes & Legends and the rockets many of ...

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Overview

What can tourists learn about when visiting the Kennedy Space Center?

The Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour is a fantastic experience that gives you the opportunity to see launch pads, restricted areas and the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building up close. This exciting tour is always a favourite with visitors as you learn all about the birthplace of American spaceflight and more!

Does Kennedy Space Center have zero gravity?

Our specially modified Boeing 727 G-FORCE ONE® aircraft achieves weightlessness by flying aerobatic maneuvers called parabolas. Specially trained pilots perform these aerobatic maneuvers, which are not simulated in any way. Zero-G passengers experience true weightlessness.

Where is the biggest NASA located?

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), located in Greenbelt, Maryland, was commissioned by NASA on March 1, 1959. It is the largest combined organization of scientists and engineers in the United States dedicated to increasing knowledge of the Earth, the Solar System, and the Universe via observations from space.

Why is it called the Kennedy Space Center?

KSC is named after President John F. Kennedy, who famously declared in 1961 that the United States would put an astronaut on the moon, and bring that person safely back to Earth, before the end of the decade.

Is the Saturn V at Kennedy Space Center real?

Although a total of 13 Saturn V rockets were launched between 1967 and 1972, this is one of only three remaining in the United States. Exhibits alongside the rocket highlight its assembly and the more than 400,000 people who helped build the massive machine.

What is the first thing to do at the Kennedy Space Center?

Roam the Rocket Garden

One of the first things you see when you enter is the Rocket Garden, are models of rockets NASA has used over the years. You wander around in awe of their size, especially the Saturn, which sent astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program in the late '60s and early '70s.

Is it worth visiting Kennedy Space Center?

This is one of the most incredible places you might visit in your entire lifetime. Seriously, this is definitely worth the bucket list! The Kennedy Space Center, as the name suggests, is the center of NASA's major space activities, including launches and space-related events.

What's New at Kennedy Space Center?

Gateway™: The Deep Space Launch Complex. Discover the current and upcoming cutting-edge innovations of space exploration from NASA and their commercial partners. Then enter the spaceport of the future and launch aboard one of four unforgettable journeys to distant worlds on an immersive ride. The thrill is within reach ...

Do kids enjoy Kennedy Space Center?

One thing that kids at Kennedy Space Center will love is the Shuttle Launch Experience. This fun experience takes you through the shuttle launch process from inside the ship. It moves, it shakes, it's loud, and it's super fun.

Who owns NASA?

That's because NASA isn't a private or publicly-owned company. Instead, it's an official agency of the U.S. government. That means it's technically owned by the United States and receives government funding just like the Department of Justice, Department of Education, National Park Service, etc.

Why is the Kennedy Space Center in Florida?

The location was chosen because it was relatively undeveloped land. Today, Florida's Space Coast is home to more than 570,000 residents, but when NASA was looking for an optimal spot to build the space program, it was no more than acres and acres of orchards, farmland, and quiet beaches.

Is NASA the same as Kennedy Space Center?

Kennedy Space Center, one of 10 NASA field centers, is a premier multi-user spaceport with more than 90 private-sector partners and nearly 250 partnership agreements. The presence of commercial companies at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is larger than ever before, enabling us to embark on a new era of space exploration.

Why is NASA based in Florida?

NASA takes advantage of Earth's natural rotation by launching toward the east from Cape Canaveral. The speed at which the Earth rotates at Cape Canaveral is roughly 914 mph, helping to give rockets some extra speed to reach their destination.

Why do astronauts say Houston?

"Houston, we have a problem" is a popular but slightly erroneous quotation from the radio communications between the Apollo 13 astronauts Jack Swigert, Jim Lovell and the NASA Mission Control Center ("Houston") during the Apollo 13 spaceflight in 1970, as the astronauts communicated their discovery of the explosion ...

What is the best space Center to visit?

As the mothership of the NASA Visitor Centers, Kennedy Space Center (or KSC) is a must. A quick road trip from Orlando, Kennedy Space Center offers the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis along with a comprehensive history of the NASA space program.

How many space centers are in USA?

NASA's 10 major centers, plus its headquarters in Washington, D.C., are joined by eight smaller facilities -- Goddard Institute for Space Studies (New York City), Independent Verification & Validation Facility (West Virginia), Michoud Assembly Facility (New Orleans), NASA Shared Services Center (Mississippi), Plum ...

How much do astronauts get paid?

The pay grades for civilian astronaut candidates are set by federal government pay scales and vary based on academic achievements and experience. According to NASA , civilian astronaut salaries range from $104,898 to $161,141 per year. Here are a few of the benefits offered to civilian astronauts: Health care.

Are the Rockets on display at Kennedy Space Center real?

Most of the rockets you see today are real, though never flown in space. Remember: in the early days of America's space program, we did not reuse or retrieve rockets once they launched. Spend the day at the visitor complex and you are sure to be drawn to these giants.

Can you float at the Kennedy Space Center?

Overnight Adventures Atlantis immerses participants in a night of space and science while space shuttle Atlantis floats overhead. Or, you can sleep underneath a 363-foot-long Saturn V moon rocket.