Since 1995, when Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Inc. began managing the Visitor Complex, every aspect of this 70-acre facility has been entirely redeveloped and enhanced. From the new Shuttle Launch Experience, astronaut encounters to larger-than-life IMAX® films, live shows, hands-on activities and behind-the-scenes tours, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers guests an educational, entertaining and comprehensive space program experience.

NEW! - SHUTTLE LAUNCH EXPERIENCE
The new Shuttle Launch Experience at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is an incredible journey of vertically launching into space and orbiting Earth aboard the Space Shuttle. Guest “crew members” strap in for this all-too-real simulation, which immerses visitors in the sights, sounds and feelings of a Space Shuttle launch, designed under the guidance of NASA and veteran Space Shuttle astronauts. The five minute experience in the one-of-a-kind customdesigned crew cabin culminates with a breath-taking view of Earth from space.

TOURS

Kennedy Space Center Tour: A must-see experience, this tour takes guests on a narrated video supplemented bus tour of Kennedy Space Center. The first stop on this go-at-your-own pace tour is the LC-39 Observation Gantry where guests enjoy a panoramic view of Kennedy Space Center and the Space Shuttle launch pads, as well as the rocket launch pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A short film and interactive displays demonstrate how the launch pad is constructed and how a Space Shuttle is launched. Buses then drive by the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where the Space Shuttle is stacked for launch, and where the Apollo/Saturn V rockets were once assembled, as well as the Orbiter Processing Facility where the orbiter is examined and maintained after each mission.

The next stop is the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where dramatic multi-media shows and numerous hands-on displays provide visitors with an inspirational and exhilarating look into America’s quest for the moon. Guests relive the historic launch of Apollo 8 at the Firing Room Theater, then marvel at a monstrous 363-foot long Saturn V moon rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built, and one of only three Saturn V rockets in existence. Finally, the Lunar Theater provides a rare look at the harrowing final moments before man landed on the moon.

The Apollo/Saturn V Center is also home to the Moon Rock Café, the only place in the world where guests can dine next to a genuine moon rock. From the Apollo/Saturn V Center, guests may return to the Visitor Complex or continue on the tour to the International Space Station Center. Visitors view an informational briefing on the International Space Station and walk through full-scale mock-ups of space station modules. An elevated observation room overlooks the actual processing facility where visitors may witness actual components of the Space Station as they are checked out, processed and readied for their trip into orbit.

FILMS

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is home to the only back-to-back IMAX® theaters in the world, showcasing two large-format 3D motion pictures on five-and-a-half story tall screens.

Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon is the newest IMAX space film. This film takes audiences to the lunar surface to walk alongside the 12 extraordinary astronauts who have been there to experience what they saw, thought and did. Presented and narrated by Tom Hanks, Magnificent Desolation features rarely seen NASA footage, Computer Generated Images and live-action renditions of the lunar landscape to propel audiences nearly a quarter-million miles above the Earth’s surface.

Space Station, filmed by 25 astronauts and cosmonauts and narrated by Tom Cruise, takes audiences on an incredible cinematic journey of discovery from planet Earth to the newest star in the sky – the International Space Station. Amazing 3D technology enables audiences to sit inside the Space Shuttle during launch, experience the exhilaration of a space walk and float effortlessly through the Space Station.

Visitors to the 300-seat Astronaut Encounter can view the inspirational film, “Quest for Life,” which illustrates the need for humans to search for life in this galaxy and explore the unknown reaches of the universe.

LIVE SHOWS AND PROGRAMS

Astronaut Encounter: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the only place on Earth where guests have the opportunity to come face-to-face with a real astronaut every day. This half-hour, interactive question and answer session aims at inspiring children and adults alike to strive for excellence.

Lunch With an Astronaut: Experience the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of having lunch with an actual astronaut and hearing inspiring space exploration stories while enjoying a delicious meal. Guests have the opportunity to ask questions, have photos taken with the astronaut and receive an autographed souvenir.

Mad Mission to Mars 2025, a KSC Visitor Complex/Mad Science Production: This liveaction stage show enables guests to learn principles essential for an astronaut to live and work in space without leaving Earth. Using stereoscopic 3D computer animation and spectacular theatrical effects, wacky characters Professor Pruvitt, Kelvin and WD-4D magically transform guests into “astronaut trainees,” then guide them on an interactive journey through the cosmos.

EXHIBITS

Shuttle Plaza: “Explorer,” a full-size orbiter replica, allow guests to picture more clearly what it’s like to live and work in space. Full-size, genuine solid rocket boosters and an external tank are also on display, representing all three components of a Space Shuttle. The Launch Status Center features live briefings on space-related topics.

Early Space Exploration: Highlighting the Mercury and Gemini space programs, this facility features artifacts from the first manned space flights and houses the original Mercury mission control consoles. This exhibit is located adjacent to the Dr. Kurt H. Debus Conference Facility, a state of the art meeting and event facility overlooking the Rocket Garden.

Rocket Garden: The ever-popular Rocket Garden is a Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex hallmark. The outdoor garden features eight authentic rockets from the past, including a Mercury-Atlas rocket similar to the one used to launch John Glenn into space in 1962. Elements include dramatic lighting, water features, “climb-in” Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsule replicas, seating and informative graphic elements.

Exploration in the New Millennium: Guests transition into the future of space exploration as they journey from the Vikings’ discoveries of Greenland and Iceland to the Mars Viking Lander, the first probe to land on Mars in 1976. Here, guests can explore our solar system, touch a piece of Mars and view NASA space images.

Nature and Technology: This exhibit showcases the unique balance between technology and nature at Kennedy Space Center, which shares a common boundary with the 140,000 acre Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Robot Scouts: This walk-through exhibit highlights NASA’s unsung heroes, the unmanned planetary robot probes that pave the way for human space flight. Through humor and creative story lines, this attraction provides an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Astronaut Memorial: Dedicated in 1991, the Astronaut Memorial honors the 24 U.S. Astronauts who gave their lives for space exploration. The 42.5-foot high by 50-foot wide “Space Mirror” brilliantly illuminates the names cut through the monument’s black granite surface.

SPECIAL INTEREST TOURS

Cape Canaveral: Then and Now Tour: This narrated, in-depth journey guides visitors through the Cape’s 50-year history of space exploration. Highlights include Launch Complex 5/6, site of the first two Mercury launches and the birthplace of NASA’s manned space program; the Air Force Space and Missile Museum; the Mercury Memorial; and Launch Complex 19, site of 10 manned missions in two years. The tour stops at Launch Complex 34, site of the 1967 Apollo 1 tragedy in which astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee perished in a fire during a launch test. Note: Photo ID is required for guests 12 and older.

U.S. ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME®: Located six miles west of the main Visitor Complex, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® features the world’s largest collection of personal astronaut mementos, plus historic spacecrafts, hands-on activities and astronaut training simulators. Sit at a mission control console, take a virtual moonwalk and feel the pull of 4 G’s in the G-Force Trainer.

NASA Up Close Tour: Led by a trained space expert, this tour gives visitors an insider’s view of the space program from launch preparation to liftoff. The tour includes up-close views of Space Shuttle launch pads, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), massive Crawler-Transporters, which move the Space Shuttle from the VAB to its launch pad, and Shuttle Landing Facility. The tour stops in between the Space Shuttle launch pads, offering a close-up photo opportunity, in front of the VAB, and on the NASA Causeway where guests are surrounded by myriad rocket launch pads and may view the solid rocket booster recovery ships and native wildlife. The tour culminates at the Apollo/Saturn V Center.

LAUNCHES

The noise, the vibrations – and the view! From countdown to lift-off, there’s nothing quite like a live, authentic space launch. An on-going schedule of manned and unmanned space launches keep eyes glued to the skies above Kennedy Space Center throughout the year.

DINING

Guests may choose from a full-service restaurant or numerous self-service restaurants and specialty food locations with a wide variety of menu options. Lunch With an Astronaut is available daily at 12:30 p.m. and includes a delicious lunch, a briefing and Q & A with a NASA astronaut and an autographed souvenir.

DIRECTIONS

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is located 45 minutes east of Orlando on State Road 405, six miles inside the Kennedy Space Center entrance. From Orlando, take State Road 528 east and follow the signs to Kennedy Space Center. From Interstate 95, take exit 212 northbound or exit 215 southbound. From Merritt Island or Cocoa Beach, take State Road 3.

OPERATING HOURS

Opens at 9:00 a.m. Closing times vary by season. Open daily except December 25 and certain launch days. Guests should plan to spend the day for a complete experience.

Complimentary wheelchairs and strollers are available inside the main entrance and all exhibits and tours are wheelchair accessible. The Visitor Complex offers complimentary parking and use of pet kennels. First aid, automated teller machine and bus parking are available.

For more on KSC visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com