Houston Space Center: A Brief Visitor’s Guide

If you ever find yourself in Houston, Texas, then you should definitely find time to stop at the Houston Space Center. It can’t be recommended highly enough and you’ll definitely create some memories that you’ll keep with you forever. So here is everything you need to know about visiting the Houston Space Center and how to go about planning your trip.

The Houston Space Center, officially known as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, is the heart of NASA’s human spaceflight operations and is the training ground for present and future astronauts.  Within its sprawling campus, are state-of-the-art laboratories, high-tech mission control rooms, aerospace engineering, astrophysics, and planetary science centers as well as displays of historic spaceships and capsules.  This is a fascinating facility that should not be missed.

How To Get There

There are several ways you can get to the Houston Space Center. You can do a Houston van rental, you can hire a cab to take you there, or you can look at public transportation. No matter which choice you make, just keep in mind that there are two main parts to the center. You can go through the self-guided museum itself, filled with exhibits on space exploration. There’s also the tram tour, which takes you to the grounds of the NASA Johnson Space Center itself, where you can see historic locations as well as see the facilities in operation.

How Much Is Admission To The Houston Space Center?

Admissions to the Houston Space Center are entirely dependent on the date and time you are entering. For adults (over the age of 12), admission is between $30 and $35 collars. For children aged 4 to 11, admission is around $25, and for seniors (those over 65), admission is $28. Of course, there are also discounts being offered to active and retired military, and children under the age of 3 enter for free.

You can also choose to buy your ticket online and print it out, which saves you some time of having to stand in line to purchase your ticket at the door.

What Are The Different Ticket Types?

There are four main ticket types for you to purchase. These are:

• the standard ticket: access to all of the exhibits in the Space Center, as well as the tram tour of the NASA Johnson Space Center.
• the standard ticket with Mission Control Tour: same as the standard ticket, but with the added bonus of a tour of Mission Control. This added bonus is an extra $15 per ticket.
• the Breakfast with an Astronaut Experience: same as the standard ticket, but you also get to have a meal with an astronaut. You’ll be able to ask all of the questions you’ve ever wanted to ask an astronaut, as well as have the opportunity to take photos. Keep in mind, however, that this option is only available once or twice a week.
• the VIP tour: for an extra $200, you get a much more detailed tour of the NASA Johnson Space Center, lasting roughly 3 hours. This kind of tour needs to be booked in advance.

There are added prices to each type of ticket which are representative of the experience you’ll have at the Center.

If you’re really into science and everything space-related, then add the Houston Space Center to your trip itinerary. You’ll have a moment you’ll never forget. Don’t forget to add a car rental to your list too, so that you can get around Houston in style and comfort.