How to Spend 1 Full Day at Kennedy Space Center

FEATURING THE U.S. ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME

A full day at the visitor complex means you will cover most of NASA’s past, present, and future. So, start at the beginning with Heroes and Legends. Learning about NASA’s earliest space programs really sets the tone for the day. Hear first-hand tales from the heroes who dared to launch first, and gain an appreciation of where it all began. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame is found here as well, with new inductees being added each year.

It’s unlike any garden you have seen before. This garden is full of towering giants from NASA’s space program. While most are early-space rockets, you can’t miss the newest (and youngest) rocket of the group: United Launch Alliance’s Delta II. The best way to learn about all of these vehicles is to catch a guided tour, offered multiple times a day.

A large portion of your day will be spent on the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour, but it is well worth the time. This guided tour shows you around NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and makes two stops: the all-new The Gantry at LC-39 and the legendary Apollo/Saturn V Center. Explore each location on your own time but make sure you budget about 4 hours round trip. Food, restrooms, shopping, and amazing views of the launch pads are all found on this tour.

TIP: The bus tour ends earlier than other attractions. Check the daily schedule upon arrival to make sure you don’t miss out.

No trip to Kennedy Space Center is complete without visiting the real Atlantis orbiter. Stand nose-to-nose with this icon and try your hand at more than 60 interactive simulators. Before you exit the building, prepare for an exhilarating experience at the Shuttle Launch Experience^®, located on the bottom floor. It’s a ride that astronauts themselves say comes close to a real launch liftoff. Buckle up—we are a GO for launch! Must be 44 inches or 112 centimeters to ride.

This is your chance to meet a real astronaut! Commanders, pilots, mission and payload specialists who have lived and worked in space share their stories every day at the visitor complex. Ask your questions, get an autograph and take photos! Find out who the Astronaut of the Day is during your next visit, and how to meet them, by checking out the Event Calendar.

Get excited for what’s next in space exploration at Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex! Here, get up close to spacecraft that has traveled beyond our planet, and see futuristic technology designed for the next steps in deep space missions. Then, head upstairs and embark on one of four epic journeys inside Spaceport KSC^®, a simulation ride. Must be 44 inches or 112 centimeters to ride.