FAC T L E T
moonwalker Edgar Mitchel, and Commander
and moonwalker Alan Shepard to the Moon
and back. There is an original Lunar Module that would have been used to land on
the surface, a Lunar Rover simulator, actual
Moon rocks, spacesuits, and other great artifacts. You can even touch a small piece of a
real Moon rock.
While all of the visitors complex has amazing displays and great artifacts, the latest
and perhaps the most spectacular of all the
exhibits is the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit
which opened in 2013. The 90,000 square foot
facility is reported to have cost $100 million to
build and it showcases the Space Shuttle program like no other facility has done to date.
Unflown Lunar Module
The Space Shop located
inside KSCVC is the largest
retail store in the world
devoted to space-themed
merchandise.
The exhibit is in the main visitors center
area. You can’t miss it. Out in front is a massive, 184-foot tall full-size replica of the Solid
Rockets Boosters and Fuel tank used to
launch the orbiter into space. You’ll be able
to see the stack in the distance as you drive
out to the visitors’ center and it can be spotted fairly easily all the way back in Titusville
more than 10 miles away. While you are looking up at the massive stack, take a moment
and look down, the entranceway is lined
with actual rocks from the NASA crawlerway
which the mighty Saturn V rockets that took
astronauts to the Moon rolled out to the
launch pads on, and every Space Shuttle
flight rolled over those rocks as well.
Once inside the building, you’ll walk along
a slight ascent with images of the shuttle,
astronauts, and more to look at on your way.
If it’s not busy you can take some interesting photographs of you and/or your family
members with many of these images. When
you near the top there are a massive set of
windows that overlook the tank and boosters outside and you can see almost the entire main visitor’s center. The view gives you
something extra to look at until you head into
the theater.
Once inside the theater you will be
treated with the story of how the shuttle was
conceived, built and ultimately flown and
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Apollo 8 Launch Control Room
www.RocketSTEM .org