Author Topic: Visit to Houston Mission Control  (Read 2045 times)

Offline sivodave

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Visit to Houston Mission Control
« on: 07/22/2010 01:02 am »
Hi all.

In November I'll be at the KSC for the Astronaut Autograph and Memorabilia Show. I was thinking to pay a visit to mission control in Huston as well. Has anybody of you ever been there? is there a tour inside the center where you can see the facilities used for training the astronauts? is it worth a visit?

thanks

Davide
« Last Edit: 07/24/2010 12:46 pm by Chris Bergin »

Offline MCC_Houston

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Offline mike robel

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Re: Visit to Huston Mission Control
« Reply #2 on: 07/22/2010 06:17 pm »
I have been to KSC, MSFC, and JSC multiple times.  JSC, to me, is by far the least interesting center to visit.  Their visitor center this summer on my visit was overwhelmed by a Star Wars play center for kids in the center of the building.  Going to look at shuttle mission control is not much better than looking at it on TV.  The Saturn V is not displayed well.  However, they do have a Little Joe II, which is unique among the three.

Not suprisingly, I like KSC best, but then I am a booster fan boy as, IMO, it is the most spectacular and visible manifestation of the space program.

Offline TexasRED

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Re: Visit to Huston Mission Control
« Reply #3 on: 07/22/2010 08:27 pm »
I have to somewhat agree,  Space Center Houston has been geared ~98% towards kids IMO. The last time I was there they had a bunch of Ringling Bros Circus stuff up front. Seriously?

If you have younger kids they will probably like it, but otherwise adults will probably feel underwhelmed.

There is also the VIP tour, but its pricey and no young kids allowed I think. But if you don't have young ones this may be what you would rather do.
http://www.spacecenter.org/Level9Tour.html
http://www.spacecenter.org/Level9TourFAQ.html 

Though on-site via the regular tram tour you can still see:
-Rocket Park (Saturn V, Little Joe II, Mercury-Redstone).
-MCC
-The original MCC (this is well worth it IMO),
-I believe the SAIL and the NBL? (those two might be the only VIP tour, not sure). 

I think it has a few other stops but not sure where else it goes I've never been on it myself.

Offline simonbp

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Re: Visit to Huston Mission Control
« Reply #4 on: 07/23/2010 03:31 am »
The saddest part about the JSC visitor's center is that all the really good stuff (flown Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules (!), a full-scale Skylab mock-up (!!), and nearly 50 kg of Moon rocks/regolith (!!!!)) is all hidden in a little, dimly-lit room in the back...

Offline Blackstar

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Re: Visit to Huston Mission Control
« Reply #5 on: 07/24/2010 06:35 am »
And that's why I think it would be a shame if Space Center Houston got a shuttle orbiter.  They frankly don't deserve it.  They've demonstrated through numerous actions that they don't value the history nor know how to display it.  They put the irrelevant, non-space kid's stuff out front, they bury the space artifacts in the back, and they left their Saturn V outside to rot in the weather for decades.  Why should they be trusted with an orbiter?

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