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The Space Museum Lover's Bucket List

Here they are: the best ways to get your space fix in the whole galaxy.

By Sarah QuinnPublished 7 years ago 5 min read
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One of the best things about going to a space museum is sharing the experience with astrophile friends and family who are as ready to nerd out as you are. If space shuttles, planetariums, lunar rocks, and astronaut suits get you all kinds of excited, then prepare to blast off to geek paradise with this list of the best space museums in the whole world.

Kennedy Space Center

If space flight is your thing, the iconic Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Florida might be your mecca. Check out rockets from the earliest days of NASA, marvel at mankind's incredible potential when you gaze at the Saturn V (yes, the same one that put a man on the moon), and gasp in awe at the newest exhibit, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, where you can try a simulated space walk, actually use a 250-ton crane, and train just like a real astronaut. There’s even a simulated launch and, if you plan to be there at the right time, a lunch with an astronaut. After you’ve been thoroughly entertained, take a solemn moment to view the memorial to astronauts lost in space. This is still a working space center with so much to do that you may want to do some careful research before planning your trip; some advise pre-reserving one of the special interest tours promoted on the Kennedy Space Center’s web site, which are well worth the cost.

National Air and Space Museum

This was the first space museum that I ever visited, and I have strong memories of just standing in front of the Apollo 11 command module and trying not to let my jaw drop. Here you can see John Glenn’s Friendship 7 spacecraft (not to mention an huge variety of flying machines that stay closer to Earth). Right now the IMAX theatre has showings of the films Dark Universe, Journey to the Stars, and To Space and Back. Current exhibits at the museum include “A New Moon Rises,” showing stunning landscapes of the Moon, “Moving Beyond Earth,” which explores the recent history of human spaceflight and imagines possibilities for the future, and “Space Science,” where you can learn about the incredible science of vehicles that travel beyond Earth's atmosphere. Bonus: it’s always free.

Udvar-Hazy Space Center 

In this Chantilly, VA companion facility to the National Air and Space Museum, you’ll find an enormous collection of space artifacts, including none other than the Space Shuttle Discovery. In the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, much of the National Air and Space Museum's collection is available for your viewing pleasure, part in a glassed-in mezzanine showing in-progress restoration projects. Tours, lectures, events, and educational activities are available throughout the year. You’ll also get to touch a spacesuit and try two different ride simulators: the SpaceWalk 2004 3D, which lets you imagine yourself on the space shuttle touring the International Space Station, and the Cosmic Coaster, which allows you to explore the universe on a fun and futuristic thrill ride. Like the National Air and Space Museum, the Udvar-Hazy Center is completely free.

US Space and Rocket Center

The US Space and Rocket Center was a big part of making the Apollo missions and space shuttle program a reality. At the Marshall Space Flight Center, you’ll find 1,500 space exploration artifacts (including the lunar return capsule from Apollo 16) and a whole series of simulators. But perhaps the most scream-inducing part of this Huntsville, Alabama facility is Space Camp, which you DO NOT have to be a child to attend. That’s right. Their weekend program for grown-ups, Adult Space Academy, includes model rocket construction and launch, astronaut simulator training (including the ⅙ gravity chair and Multi-Axis Trainer), and spaceflight history education. But if that isn’t enough for you, there’s Advanced Adult Space Academy, which involves training with a real live astronaut, a bus tour to the Marshall Space Flight Center, a SCUBA mission in the Underwater Astronaut Trainer, and a 12-hour spaceflight mission. In either program, you get to room and board right there at the US Space and Rocket Center. If this does not sound like a dream come true, I don’t know what does.

Space Center Houston

“Houston, we have a problem.” Those words were spoken from the Apollo 13 and transmitted straight to NASA’s mission control at the Johnson Space Center, and you can access it through Space Center Houston in Texas. Some of the many attractions include lunch with an astronaut, historic mission control (less advanced than your smartphone, still put a man on the moon), and modern mission control, currently assisting the International Space Station crew. One of only five lunar rocks that the public is allowed access to is here (and you can touch it!), along with a working lunar rover trainer actually operated by astronauts, the spacecraft that last flew a manned mission to the moon, and a space shuttle replica. Here’s an insider tip: book the Tram Tour and the Plane/Shuttle Tour online so that you can skip the lines (it doesn’t cost a thing to book your times). The Tram Tours are ones that you won’t want to miss, as they take you straight through the heart of the operation to the historic mission control - and that’s definitely a place that will give you chills.

California Science Center

If you’re in Los Angeles, don’t miss the California Science Center, permanent home of the Space Shuttle Endeavor. You can go online to get a timed reservation before your visit (and you’ll want to if you’re headed there on the weekend). The Endeavor is raised on a 12-foot platform so you can view it from all angles while knowledgeable volunteers stand at the ready to answer your every question. This is another great free museum, and there’s a lot of essential space history to take in, including the SSME (space shuttle main engine), which took the first American woman into space, Sally Ride, as well as the first African American astronaut, Guion Bluford, and SPACEHAB, a workshop astronauts use while in space. Many other air and space exhibits and a seven-story IMAX screen make this a space museum you won’t want to miss.

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About the Creator

Sarah Quinn

I'm a writer in love with India, Stars Wars, fantasy, travel, and Thai curries. My childhood heroes were Luke Skywalker and Joan of Arc. I muse on superheroes, sci-fi, feminism, and more.

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