Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!src.honeywell.com!msi.umn.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave!john From: john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Visit to Houston Space Centre...? Message-ID: <524@newave.UUCP> Date: 28 Nov 90 18:03:55 GMT References: Reply-To: john@newave.mn.org (John A. Weeks III) Organization: NeWave Communications Ltd, Eden Prairie, MN Lines: 52 In article sullivan@msor.exeter.ac.uk (Rob Sullivan) writes: > I would very much like to visit the Space center while I am here in > Houston. I would be most grateful for any details regarding the necessary > arrangements for such a visit. There really isn't that much on public display at JSC, and, unless you have real business with NASA, the chances of a special tour are really slim. Here is what I got to see when I was there last month: 1. Rocket park - Saturn V bird stand, a little joe, and one other smaller rocket (Atlas I think). 2. Engine dispaly - several engines on display outside of visitors center. 3. Visitors Center - one of each capsule (Mercury, Gemanii, Apollo), a LEM, the flying bed-stead, a moon rock, a number of mock-ups of shuttle and fred, and a few models of various space hardware. 4. Building 9 - Mock-ups of Fred used for training & fred's arm (with a giant red maple leaf painted on). Most of building 9 is closed for construction, so you cannot see much of anything. 5. Building 31 - Moon rock storage. You can walk through a hallway and look at the moon rock storage vaults. Looks much like a hospital. 6. Mission Control - Tickets required, get them at the info desk in the visitors center. You get to sit in the observation area and look at the mission control room for 10 minutes. Because of the thick glass, it is nearly impossible to get any type of photos. 7. Gift shop - A counter in the cafateria. Usually over crowed and almost impossible to browse at. If you are any kind of space fan, you really should visit JSC. But considering that over 1 million people a year visit there, there really isn't that much to see or learn about. They are about to build a new visitors center. Hopefully they will address the tourists a bit more. One other thing that I noticed...about 80% of the visitors appeared to be foriegn. Houston must not be a very popular place for domestic tourism. While in Houston, visit the zoo (they have some very nice baby tigers at the moment), and stop by and visit Combat Jets (prior phone call required). -john- -- =============================================================================== John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications ...uunet!rosevax!bungia!wd0gol!newave!john ===============================================================================