The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Space Center Houston

Space center Houston is a place where we can explore outer space. It is an official visitor center of NASA space center. It is equipped with more than 400 artifacts and numerous space related exhibitions are hosted there. Space center offers various attraction places like the NASA Tram tour. Which provides access to the Astronaut Training Facility and Historic Mission Control. There are various other activities that families can explore. It is the best place for someone who is very enthusiastic and wants to gain deep knowledge in the field of science.

In this Blog, we are gonna cover every information related to Space Center. Which will help the people to explore which activities are happening nearby to the Space Center.

History & Mission of Space Center Houston

This Space center was established in 1992 for the public to come and visit the museum. This is a non-profit foundation named as Manned Space Flight Education Foundation. The center was designated a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2014. Which allows them to host exhibitions and educational trips for the students and teenagers. Their mission is to tell people how science and humanity powers space explorations. The center serves as a STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education hub. It inspires young people and children to get to know about space from  their previous space explorations.

They preserve the materials, rocks that are taken from the space for inspections. They are displayed to the visitors to see how material looks from outer space.

Top Attractions at Space Center Houston

Starship Gallery

Starship Gallery is a spot at Space Center where they have stored multiple flown aircraft. That actually went to space and some of the space related national treasure. In this gallery, you can see the Apollo 17 Command Module from the last mission to Moon. Walk and have a look inside Skylab-1G where humans were trained to extend their life in space.

International Space Station

The International Space Station in Space Center Houston provides a comprehensive look at the space station as there are some artifacts displayed which are actually flown to space for exploration purposes. See, package food that astronauts eat, how they purify the water for drinking purposes.

Mission Mars

Mission mars is all about what technologies will help us to travel to mars. How life will survive on mars in the next few decades. The Space Center is closing, working with NASA in development of the Mars mission. Which guides visitors through NASA’s journey to Mars.

Astronaut Gallery

The Astronaut gallery is one of the most comprehensive collections of astronaut spacesuits and apparel. Which they wore during their respective missions. Such as, the spacesuit worn by Pete Conrad on its Apollo 12 missions.

Space Center Houston Tickets & Pricing

The space center ticket and pricing amount varies as there are different prices of tickets. When you buy it online or on-site. The ticket price for a child whose age is 3 or younger. They don’t have to pay anything and their entry is free. Now, the kid whose age lies between 4-11 has to pay $24.95 – $34.95 If you are buying tickets online but the price can increase if you buy it from the counter. Then it’s gonna cost you around $29.95 – $39.95.

For the Adult whose age is more than 12+ years are expected to pay $29.95 – $39.95 when buying a ticket online, whereas if you prefer to pay the amount in cash mode then the price may hike up to $34.95 – $44.95. Now, for the Old age people whose age is more than 65+ are requested to pay $27.95 – $37.95 if you are buying tickets online, whereas if you prefer to buy in cash mode then it’s gonna cost you around $32.95 – $42.95.

Best Time to Visit Space Center Houston

The recommended time to visit the Space Center is on weekdays, that is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday early mornings which will help to beat the crowds and you can spend time more easily. Monday and Friday are usually reserved for the school field trips and exhibitions. The centers open at 10.00am and it is advisable to reach the venue 15-30 minutes before the opening of the center.

Being an early visitor, you can get the NASA Tram Tour which is a must for everyone and it highlights human space explorations and you will have a whole day to explore other attractions.

How to Get to Space Center Houston

Space Center is located at 1601 NASA Road 1, Houston, TX 77058 which is approximately 25 miles southeast of downtown Houston. There are numerous ways to reach the space center Houston.

• Personal Car: It is a more convenient method as it will take only 50-55 minutes to reach there.
• Shuttle: They are offering a round-trip shuttle bus from downtown Houston to space center and it is widely known as Astroville tour.

Visitor Tips for an Unforgettable Experience

To have an unforgettable experience of the trip, there are some tips that you should consider to have an unforgettable experiences:

• Explore local culture and traditions: Plan and explore those activities which will help to explore their culture, customs, and traditions and try to explore those places which are usually off limits for the tourist.
• Explore local restaurants: Choose restaurants which offer experiences rather than just normal food. Research the restaurants beforehand and try to choose that restaurant which brings the local values and culture into the food.
• Find a memorable souvenir: Always try to find a souvenir on the trip. A gift to take home, as it helps to cherish and remember that wonderful time that we had. 
• Stay Flexible: when planning a trip, allows some time for unexpected detours that might become best memories. 
• Don’t Neglect rest: After a day of sightseeing, rest is very vital and peaceful sleep is too. Try to sleep on time and fully, so that you can be energized in the morning for more activities. 

Dining & Shopping at Space Center Houston

There are various dining and shopping areas at the Space Center Houston like The Food Lab which offers coffee, coffee bars and many other things. Along with it, there is a large gift shop which offers a variety of space-related merchandise that they can get for themselves.

Dining Options at Space Center:

• The Food lab: This is a food court which is newly renovated and offers a variety of food options to the visitors.
• Speciality dining: It is a place where we can have breakfast with astronauts, featuring a buffet and a presentation.
• Nearby Options: There are a variety of cuisines that we can choose from outside of the space center that is Himalaya Taj which specializes in nepali and indian cuisines, Frenchie’s Italian restaurants which serves italian theme food

Educational Programs & STEM Opportunities

There are various program offered to Children’s

For Children:

• Explorer camps: The Space center offers kids to engage in science, new technology and math challenges that helps bring space exploration to life.
• Family overnights: Space center Houston offers overnight stays for the families and they can explore science, technology and engineering.

For Students and Educator:

• Field trips: Space center Houston field trip program offers exciting and dynamic experiences that teaches children about science and space exploration.
• STARS & STEM: It is specially designed and developed to match each grade level’s standard so that students can explore, be inspired and eager to explore STEM concepts when they return to school.

Nearby Attractions in Houston

• The Houston Museum of Natural Science: This museum has a large and spectacular collection of mineral specimens like dinosaurs, space-station models and a six-story butterfly center and many more.
• The Galleria: It is the largest shopping center and fourth largest domain nationally. The Galleria is Houston’s most popular retails and tourist destination, meeting every style and space.
• Museum of Fine Arts: It is the largest cultural institution in the southwest regions of the USA. This had a collection of 70,000 objects covering world cultures dating from antiquity to the present holding of American art.
• Houston Zoo: It is a zoo consisting of 6000 permanent residents and all of the facilities including medical attention is given to all the animals. Their staff is always around the clock to make sure that the zoo is running smoothly.
• Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens: Bayou Bends is the museum of fine arts, Houston’s house of museum for American decorative art and painting. The collection is one of the finest showcases of American furnishing, ceramics and painting in the world. 

Final Thought

In this blog, we have covered all the information about the Space Center Houston. We have mentioned top attraction spots inside the Space Center Houston and Tram Train is a must activity that people have to do. All the information like how to reach Space Center Houston, food court, stores for shopping and what educational program they are offering and nearby attraction spots are also mentioned.