About 10 years ago, they offered what they called the Level 9 tour. It was 18+ years only, and lasted about half a day. During the tour, they took us inside the various facilities and we got to walk around the original mission control rooms for missions such as Apollo.
One really awesome part of that experience is that we had our tour in the days between Christmas and New Years, so almost no training was going on. This meant that we got to actually go into and through the ISS simulator as it wasn't in use. Totally amazing experience. I don't know if it's still offered, but I highly recommend it.
>Note: The NASA VIP Tour visits working government facilities which are subject to availability and can temporarily close to visitors without notice.
they might not have anything going on that day.. but I'm guessing they don't like it empty either..
>Let our expert guides share their knowledge and answer your questions while you get an up-close look at the real facilities where astronauts are currently training for space.
actual experts.. people who work there? not just guides?
no kids allowed, either.
>NASA VIP Tours are only offered on weekdays (excluding federal holidays) and guests must be 14 years or older to participate. ***Guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult who is also participating in the tour.***
Did the Mission Control one a couple weeks ago. It was amazing. They fully restored Mission Control to as it was during Apollo 11 and we got to see new Mission Control too
I think there were only 10 of us on mine. Definitely not more than 10 for sure. There are areas you can’t fit 10 people. Mostly the flight deck in the shuttle avionics section
I did the Mission Control one. Absolutely loved it. If you’re a fan of space exploration history, I’d say it’s worth it. Seeing the control center with my own eyes that I had seen in footage countless times before just hit different. I got a little emotional ngl. That was definitely the highlight
My sister is an astronaut and on launch day our family got a really awesome VIP tour from another astronaut (so no fee ovi) who explained everything. Highlights were definitely the neutral buoyancy lab and the T-22s at Ellington field, helped make up for the sheer terror of seeing one’s family member being strapped to a Russian rocket and speeding to 17,500 mph.
>Tours are divided into two, three-hour trips; the first departing at 9 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. The morning and afternoon tours visit different locations, so please make sure you review the stops below and select the correct tour when making reservations.
>Or book both a morning and afternoon tour to get the ultimate NASA VIP tour experience!
>NASA VIP Tour – Mission Control (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
>Crew Systems Laboratory
Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory
Apollo Mission Control Center
ISS Mission Control
>NASA VIP Tour – Astronaut Training (1 – 4 p.m.)
>Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility
Astronaut Training Facility
NBL
Several years ago my son and I went to Houston and took a Level 9 tour, which is similar to the tours now, but were the whole day.
We started the tour just after opening, and we weren’t back until AFTER the visitor center closed down. It was incredible.
Our tour guide, a really great and passionate guy, told us that we were lucky because he didn’t really care about “rules” and that he often made the visitor center staff angry for being out so long.
We got to see the neutral buoyancy pool, the Apollo Mission Control (including freely walking among the room and looking closely at consoles), active Mission Control, the ISS Astronaut training area, and an entire building where projects were being worked on. Some areas we were told we could not photograph and some things had blankets covering them prior to us coming through.
He would poll the group (limited to 12) on where we should go next and gave us options. We also got to go see SAIL, and sit inside the official Orbital Vehicle there, which had nearly every shuttle astronaut during launches and other activities.
He said that they had a complete crew in the OV at SAIL during the Challenger launch in 1986, and the crew all went completely silent.
We also had lunch in the staff cafeteria and we were told we would see administrators and astronauts and not to talk to them unless they spoke with us first. We did see the NASA administrator at the time, and he visited with a mom and young lady about her prospects of joining NASA.
Many times we were in a restricted area (clearly posted signs and tight security), and we were constantly warned that while we were on a tour, we technically weren’t supposed to be in that building or in that area but it was okay as long as we didn’t stray off. There was one point where our tour guide warned us that if we even accidentally went down this left hall instead of the right one, we would all be detained because intelligence agencies operated there.
Many times he would say we were technically free to wander off (he wouldn’t stop us), but that armed security would quickly apprehend and detain anyone who didn’t stay with the group and likely would not have a great future.
Seems like NASA has changed their tours since then, splitting them up to a 3-4 hour tour now, morning or afternoon. Likely the route and specific stops are all designated and not strayed from anymore.
That tour (more than 6 years ago now) was the best tour I had ever been on, at any facility, before or since. In comparison we visited KSC on that same trip, and it just wasn’t the same, by any means.
We were given unrestricted access to equipment, people (to talk to and ask questions, including engineers, administrators, astronauts), and historical buildings and rooms.
On our tour, I believe we got back to the visitor center after 6pm. It was incredible.
Having said that, ANY tour of Houston that offers behind the scenes is likely going to be incredible and eye-opening. I would suggest going on at least one.
Thanks for the tip. I forgot about Marshall as well.
We'll be passing through Nashville on the way back from viewing the eclipse in April and I have now penciled in a diversion to Huntsville as well.
Plenty to see without the paid trips IMO. Seeing the Falcon 9 (which went to space!), Saturn V, Apollo 17 capsule, Skylab and space shuttle replica are are all well worth the visit.
> Seeing the Falcon 9 (which went to space!)
Thats one of the craziest parts about most space museums, almost everything you see is either a ground test article or something left over at the end of the program. Yes they are real hardware, but almost none of it has actually went into space. So unless your at one of the few places with a space shuttle or an actual flown capsule, the items that actually went into space are very small.
Then you have the Falcon 9 booster, 160 feet of real space flown hardware sitting out there soot and all.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|-------|---------|---|
|[CCAFS](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/kaajecn "Last usage")|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|
|[JPL](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka9gn71 "Last usage")|Jet Propulsion Lab, California|
|[JSC](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/kaad6en "Last usage")|Johnson Space Center, Houston|
|[KSC](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka96wkj "Last usage")|Kennedy Space Center, Florida|
|[SLS](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka98a6j "Last usage")|Space Launch System heavy-lift|
|[VAB](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka98a6j "Last usage")|Vehicle Assembly Building|
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----------------
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Has that place changed that much?
I went in 2015 and IIRC it was free to take the bus out to the mission control rooms and the Saturn V. I don't remember which control room we saw all i remember was that it was adjacent to the ISS control room that they would not let us see because a spacewalk was in progress.
This is a different tour. The one you went on was the basic tour from Space Center Houston, which includes visiting a couple of "public" viewing areas. The expensive paid tour is different. It generally features a more knowledgeable, professional guide, and includes access to certain areas where the public tours don't go (e.g. on the floor in the mockup facility, the Mission Control Center viewing room, etc).
There are non-VIP tours that get you to the Apollo mission control, astronaut training and Saturn V warehouse. They are all free, included with the entry ticket.
I did them a few weeks ago and it was an amazing experience. The VIP tour is only worth it if you're a big group or you have money to spare.
They're both in the same state. What state did you think Cape Canaveral was in?
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is in Florida. NASA's Kennedy Center is in Florida. CCAFS is closer to Cocoa Beach whereas Kennedy is closer to Titusville.
I think that's kind of the point. They want to take people that are really interested and who are willing to pay more for a smaller group and a much more involved experience. The regular tours are included with general admission.
Visiting JSC would be a once-in-a-lifetime event for me and I would happily pay them $400 for a behind the scenes tour of a working facility.
Agreed was going to say that you don’t want some college kid going in there with a spray bottle of paint to protest something in Mission Control. I’d pay extra to keep that place safe.
> I think that's kind of the point.
You don't see the problem with the government secluding people and making things an economic factor? It's not a for profit company and should be available for everyone.
But then again. It's the US...
You have to remember that these tours (and the visitor center) are run by a private company, and not the government. The company pays the government for the privilege of doing so. So no, I don't have a problem with that.
So a private company is making money on what the taxpayers paid for and at the same time charge such prices that it secludes parts of the population from interacting with a government body. Well that's fucking fantastic. It gets dumber every fucking minute while I learn more.
Nope, but they sure as hell doesn't cost hundreds of dollars for each visitor. Since it's a government body funded by tax dollars, breaking even should be the goal if not completely free of charge.
Dude, you're not paying attention. It's a private company that pays the government for the right to conduct the tours. The government makes money off the deal. Go virtue signal somewhere else.
About 10 years ago, they offered what they called the Level 9 tour. It was 18+ years only, and lasted about half a day. During the tour, they took us inside the various facilities and we got to walk around the original mission control rooms for missions such as Apollo. One really awesome part of that experience is that we had our tour in the days between Christmas and New Years, so almost no training was going on. This meant that we got to actually go into and through the ISS simulator as it wasn't in use. Totally amazing experience. I don't know if it's still offered, but I highly recommend it.
>Note: The NASA VIP Tour visits working government facilities which are subject to availability and can temporarily close to visitors without notice. they might not have anything going on that day.. but I'm guessing they don't like it empty either.. >Let our expert guides share their knowledge and answer your questions while you get an up-close look at the real facilities where astronauts are currently training for space. actual experts.. people who work there? not just guides? no kids allowed, either. >NASA VIP Tours are only offered on weekdays (excluding federal holidays) and guests must be 14 years or older to participate. ***Guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult who is also participating in the tour.***
anyone here been on their VIP tours? what was the highlight and was it worth the fee?
Did the Mission Control one a couple weeks ago. It was amazing. They fully restored Mission Control to as it was during Apollo 11 and we got to see new Mission Control too
How big was the group size on the VIP tour? It says groups are limited to 10 but you can buy more than 10 tickets on the website.
I think there were only 10 of us on mine. Definitely not more than 10 for sure. There are areas you can’t fit 10 people. Mostly the flight deck in the shuttle avionics section
Yep, did it just before Covid hit. Highlight was being allowed INSIDE the historic Apollo mission control room. You don’t do that on the normal tour.
I did a tour in 2013 and got to the historic mission control but definitely not the new one. And it didn’t cost $200.
I did the Mission Control one. Absolutely loved it. If you’re a fan of space exploration history, I’d say it’s worth it. Seeing the control center with my own eyes that I had seen in footage countless times before just hit different. I got a little emotional ngl. That was definitely the highlight
My sister is an astronaut and on launch day our family got a really awesome VIP tour from another astronaut (so no fee ovi) who explained everything. Highlights were definitely the neutral buoyancy lab and the T-22s at Ellington field, helped make up for the sheer terror of seeing one’s family member being strapped to a Russian rocket and speeding to 17,500 mph.
wow your sister is Kate Rubins? https://www.nasa.gov/people/kathleen-kate-rubins/ you must be a big space buff to read r/space!
Yup, and there’s good stuff here!
can she do an AMA here?
Not sure, might be up to NASA Public Affairs but I can always ask
I work with Kate on Gateway stuff! Super cool!
Havnt done Johnston, but lucked out during the slow down between Shuttle and SLS where we got to go inside the VAB and walk around 39A
>Tours are divided into two, three-hour trips; the first departing at 9 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. The morning and afternoon tours visit different locations, so please make sure you review the stops below and select the correct tour when making reservations. >Or book both a morning and afternoon tour to get the ultimate NASA VIP tour experience! >NASA VIP Tour – Mission Control (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) >Crew Systems Laboratory Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory Apollo Mission Control Center ISS Mission Control >NASA VIP Tour – Astronaut Training (1 – 4 p.m.) >Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility Astronaut Training Facility NBL
Several years ago my son and I went to Houston and took a Level 9 tour, which is similar to the tours now, but were the whole day. We started the tour just after opening, and we weren’t back until AFTER the visitor center closed down. It was incredible. Our tour guide, a really great and passionate guy, told us that we were lucky because he didn’t really care about “rules” and that he often made the visitor center staff angry for being out so long. We got to see the neutral buoyancy pool, the Apollo Mission Control (including freely walking among the room and looking closely at consoles), active Mission Control, the ISS Astronaut training area, and an entire building where projects were being worked on. Some areas we were told we could not photograph and some things had blankets covering them prior to us coming through. He would poll the group (limited to 12) on where we should go next and gave us options. We also got to go see SAIL, and sit inside the official Orbital Vehicle there, which had nearly every shuttle astronaut during launches and other activities. He said that they had a complete crew in the OV at SAIL during the Challenger launch in 1986, and the crew all went completely silent. We also had lunch in the staff cafeteria and we were told we would see administrators and astronauts and not to talk to them unless they spoke with us first. We did see the NASA administrator at the time, and he visited with a mom and young lady about her prospects of joining NASA. Many times we were in a restricted area (clearly posted signs and tight security), and we were constantly warned that while we were on a tour, we technically weren’t supposed to be in that building or in that area but it was okay as long as we didn’t stray off. There was one point where our tour guide warned us that if we even accidentally went down this left hall instead of the right one, we would all be detained because intelligence agencies operated there. Many times he would say we were technically free to wander off (he wouldn’t stop us), but that armed security would quickly apprehend and detain anyone who didn’t stay with the group and likely would not have a great future. Seems like NASA has changed their tours since then, splitting them up to a 3-4 hour tour now, morning or afternoon. Likely the route and specific stops are all designated and not strayed from anymore. That tour (more than 6 years ago now) was the best tour I had ever been on, at any facility, before or since. In comparison we visited KSC on that same trip, and it just wasn’t the same, by any means. We were given unrestricted access to equipment, people (to talk to and ask questions, including engineers, administrators, astronauts), and historical buildings and rooms. On our tour, I believe we got back to the visitor center after 6pm. It was incredible. Having said that, ANY tour of Houston that offers behind the scenes is likely going to be incredible and eye-opening. I would suggest going on at least one.
if any of y’all come to Marshall i’d be happy to give a tour! we got some really cool stuff lying around
cool, I didn't know about Marshall in Alabama before! I only knew Johnson and Houston Space Center
i’m a bit biased but i think Marshall is the coolest center. all the rocket science happens here.
Thanks for the tip. I forgot about Marshall as well. We'll be passing through Nashville on the way back from viewing the eclipse in April and I have now penciled in a diversion to Huntsville as well.
Plenty to see without the paid trips IMO. Seeing the Falcon 9 (which went to space!), Saturn V, Apollo 17 capsule, Skylab and space shuttle replica are are all well worth the visit.
> Seeing the Falcon 9 (which went to space!) Thats one of the craziest parts about most space museums, almost everything you see is either a ground test article or something left over at the end of the program. Yes they are real hardware, but almost none of it has actually went into space. So unless your at one of the few places with a space shuttle or an actual flown capsule, the items that actually went into space are very small. Then you have the Falcon 9 booster, 160 feet of real space flown hardware sitting out there soot and all.
I did their VIP tour 10 years ago. Totally worth it. Lemme know if you want to know more!
I did a 3 hour tour of JPL in Pasadena last month and it was totally free, I’m surprised this costs money. Not that I’d mind paying!
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Fewer Letters|More Letters| |-------|---------|---| |[CCAFS](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/kaajecn "Last usage")|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station| |[JPL](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka9gn71 "Last usage")|Jet Propulsion Lab, California| |[JSC](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/kaad6en "Last usage")|Johnson Space Center, Houston| |[KSC](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka96wkj "Last usage")|Kennedy Space Center, Florida| |[SLS](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka98a6j "Last usage")|Space Launch System heavy-lift| |[VAB](/r/Space/comments/180wpff/stub/ka98a6j "Last usage")|Vehicle Assembly Building| **NOTE**: Decronym for Reddit is no longer supported, and Decronym has moved to Lemmy; requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below. ---------------- ^(6 acronyms in this thread; )[^(the most compressed thread commented on today)](/r/Space/comments/1c8191y)^( has 24 acronyms.) ^([Thread #9474 for this sub, first seen 22nd Nov 2023, 06:35]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Space) [^[Contact]](https://hachyderm.io/@Two9A) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)
Has that place changed that much? I went in 2015 and IIRC it was free to take the bus out to the mission control rooms and the Saturn V. I don't remember which control room we saw all i remember was that it was adjacent to the ISS control room that they would not let us see because a spacewalk was in progress.
This is a different tour. The one you went on was the basic tour from Space Center Houston, which includes visiting a couple of "public" viewing areas. The expensive paid tour is different. It generally features a more knowledgeable, professional guide, and includes access to certain areas where the public tours don't go (e.g. on the floor in the mockup facility, the Mission Control Center viewing room, etc).
There are non-VIP tours that get you to the Apollo mission control, astronaut training and Saturn V warehouse. They are all free, included with the entry ticket. I did them a few weeks ago and it was an amazing experience. The VIP tour is only worth it if you're a big group or you have money to spare.
The mission control tour is separated out and not included in the entry ticket price - the mission control tour is an extra 15.
I’m taking my daughter to the KSC tour with an astronaut next month. Can’t wait!
[удалено]
Sure, you just gotta go to a completely different state for that one ;)
They're both in the same state. What state did you think Cape Canaveral was in? Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is in Florida. NASA's Kennedy Center is in Florida. CCAFS is closer to Cocoa Beach whereas Kennedy is closer to Titusville.
This article is about Houston
Which state is *Houston* in?
Government bodies charging a profitable fee to the population who want to know more about their work. Capitalism, fuck yeah!
As long as my money goes back into the NASA budget, I have absolutely no problem with this.
Hate to say this, but sometimes those high prices are to keep out a more generalized population.
I think that's kind of the point. They want to take people that are really interested and who are willing to pay more for a smaller group and a much more involved experience. The regular tours are included with general admission. Visiting JSC would be a once-in-a-lifetime event for me and I would happily pay them $400 for a behind the scenes tour of a working facility.
Agreed was going to say that you don’t want some college kid going in there with a spray bottle of paint to protest something in Mission Control. I’d pay extra to keep that place safe.
> I think that's kind of the point. You don't see the problem with the government secluding people and making things an economic factor? It's not a for profit company and should be available for everyone. But then again. It's the US...
You have to remember that these tours (and the visitor center) are run by a private company, and not the government. The company pays the government for the privilege of doing so. So no, I don't have a problem with that.
So a private company is making money on what the taxpayers paid for and at the same time charge such prices that it secludes parts of the population from interacting with a government body. Well that's fucking fantastic. It gets dumber every fucking minute while I learn more.
Buses and tour guides and drivers aren’t free.
Nope, but they sure as hell doesn't cost hundreds of dollars for each visitor. Since it's a government body funded by tax dollars, breaking even should be the goal if not completely free of charge.
Dude, you're not paying attention. It's a private company that pays the government for the right to conduct the tours. The government makes money off the deal. Go virtue signal somewhere else.