SPACE CENTER HOUSTON

It would be a shame to come to Houston without visiting the NASA Space Center. You can easily spend three hours there, and much more if you're accompanied by children... A small train takes you up to the Johnson Space Center, which is of course still in operation. This is where rockets are guided from launch to arrival in space. Projects to return to the Moon and go to Mars are currently being studied here. The Space Center has plans for a specialized extension for these projects, where they will create an environment that simulates the respective terrains and conditions of the Moon and Mars, in preparation for further conquests. In 2010, however, Barack Obama shook the center when he announced budget cuts for the conquest of space. He spoke at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, without mentioning the role of Houston's Johnson Space Center. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has set out to reassert American hegemony in the conquest of space.
Today, the Space Center aims to explain the evolution of the various space ships, the training required to go into space and the stakes involved in researching space conquest, which is more than ever anchored in the future. What's even more impressive is the way in which the guided tours are organized, allowing hundreds of visitors to get an inside view of what's going on, and even see the scientists at work!

Here's a list of attractions not to be missed during your visit:

NASA Tram Tour. We advise you to take the Johnson Space Center tour as soon as you arrive, both because it's fascinating and shouldn't be missed, and because the train fills up fast. There are three landmarks: the room where journalists, engineers and astronaut families watched the first man set foot on the moon in 1969, called "Historic Mission Control"; the Apollo training site, with bits of rockets and, if you're lucky, cosmonauts sometimes on exercise! Then there's Rocket Park, where the Saturn V shuttle is on display, along with panels recounting all the center's missions and their results. A bronze statue in tribute to the Apollo 13 astronauts has recently been added. Don't be fooled by the long queues. Rocket Park is easy to visit at any time of day. But hurry up and visit the other two sites, which are complementary and really interesting. The bad news is that you have to take a shuttle bus to each site. Advance reservations are highly recommended.

Space Center Plaza. This is the central plaza where many of the exhibits and activities are concentrated. Children won't want to miss the fun and wacky science demonstrations at the Stellar Science show. Or try one of the flight simulators (US$4 or US$6 extra), which are a little disappointing, or discover the most fascinating secrets of the Red Planet with a look at the Mission Mars exhibition, or stock up on NASA souvenirs and goodies at the Space Trader Gift Shop.

Astronaut Gallery and Space Center Theater. The gallery features a collection of astronaut suits, including that of John Young, commander of the Apollo 16 mission, who wore the suit presented in 1981, or one of the suits worn by Judy Resnik, the second American woman to be sent into space, where she died alongside six other astronauts when the Challenger shuttle disintegrated on January 28, 1986. The Space Center Theater, to be discovered in the next room, is said to be one of the largest movie theaters in Texas, showing regularly updated films and documentaries.

The International Space Station. This exhibition presents the largest space station ever sent into space: the International Space Station (ISS). Launched in 1998, it is located in low-Earth orbit, i.e. between the atmosphere and the Van Allen Belt. Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada collaborate on scientific space research on the ISS. Explanatory panels, materials and objects related to the space station and its research are presented here. Not to be missed: the "Living in space" intervention, held in a prototype space capsule.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exhibition : inaugurated in 2017, this rocket is now on display in the open air near Independence Plaza. Here, the future of space travel is presented, with reusable rockets making travel more accessible thanks to the invention of SpaceX, a firm created by Elon Musk, and intimately linked to the project of colonizing the planet Mars.

Starship Gallery. This superb gallery plunges us into the bluish atmosphere of the conquest of space, with its Apollo 17 Command Module and full-scale Skylab Training module. Don't miss the chance to touch a piece of stone from the Moon.

Independence Plaza. This exhibition area of the center is located outside the museum, and features a life-size replica of the Space Shuttle Independence and the historic aircraft carrier NASA 905.