One of the highlights of our first stop in Texas was our visit to the NASA Space Center Houston.
At the entrance to NASA Space Center Houston
Welcome to the NASA Space Center Houston
Since we were staying at Jetstream RV Resort at NASA it was just a short drive to the Space Center. And we were so excited that it was open for touring. These days it has been hit or miss finding activities that were available. We have been lucky to still be able to travel and see so much. But we have been very careful to keep our distance and wear our masks wherever we go.
NASA Space Center Houston
A space craft hangs from the ceiling but makes you feel like you are in outer space.
An tethered astronaut maneuvers in space
A command module in space
Steve and I were happy that we made an early reservation to visit NASA. That gave us plenty of time to wander and cover every available inch of the facility. And cover every inch we did!
The enormous building that houses the Saturn V Rocket
We spied the Space Shuttle hitching a ride on a 747 from our seat on the Tram Tour.
We started off with the Tram Tour that gave us an overview of the grounds and took us to the building that housed the Saturn V Spaceship that took our astronauts to the moon. It was such a thrill to be able to see the rockets and space ships up close and personal. We even caught a glimpse of a 747 with its Space Shuttle hitchhiker that we would explore later in the day.
The Mercury-Redstone Rocket
F-! Engine was power for the Mercury-Redstone rocket that put the first Americans into space.
I don’t know about you, but we used to be glued to the TV to watch every single launch. It was always and exciting event. We vividly remember when our astronauts landed on the moon! It was all so incredible. Now here, at NASA Space Center Houston, we were able to immerse ourselves in outer space. And there was so much to learn.
It was awesome to be able to do a deep dive into all of the knowledge that was available to us. And I’m happy to share some of the highlights with you.
Saturn V Rocket
Stage One rocket thrusters of Saturn V
The Saturn V is still the most powerful rocket ever flown. But engineering at NASA isn’t just about making huge rockets or tiny capsules that go on top of huge rockets. Components of the Saturn V were built all over the United States, leaving it to NASA to assemble of the pieces. In order to do that, engineers designed the largest single story building in the world at the launch facility in Florida. The Vehicle Assembly building is 716 feet long, 518 feet wide and 525 feet tall.
Stage Two consists of 5 more rockets on Saturn V
Stage Three of the Saturn V rocket
Saturn V was designed to carry astronauts to the moon. It was a heavy lift vehicle capable of lifting the equivalent of about 10 school buses into Earth orbit. The Saturn V launched manned Apollo Program missions from 1968 through 1972. And it was also used in 1973 to launch Skylab, the first American space station.
Stage Four connects to stage three and to stage five.
The Command and Service Module and the Lunar Module
In order to carry three astronauts to the Moon. The Saturn V carried massive amounts of fuel which accounted for most of the weight of the rocket. The Moon rockets had three main components referred to as stages. Each stage burned its engines until it was out of fuel and then separated from the rocket to decrease the weight that had to be lifted. The engines on the next stage fired, and the rocket continued into space. Only the relatively small command module which carried the crew, returned to Earth.
Apollo Spacecraft
The Command and Service Module of the Saturn V Rocket
The Apollo spacecraft had three modules. The Command Module housed the crew quarters and flight controls. The Service Module was for propulsion and support hardware for the Command Module. And the Lunar Module was the transport from lunar orbit to and from the lunar surface.
A model of the space shuttle with its rockets and drawings on exhibit
Our astronauts explore the surface of the moon
The Lunar Explorer looks like a cool ATV!
This American flag flew to the moon aboard America and Challenger
The tram brought us back to the main building and then we just went from exhibit to exhibit, absorbing every bit of space knowledge that we could. For example, did you know that when pressurized, the suits that the Apollo 13 astronauts wore had a pressure layer that filled up like a balloon? Each Apollo astronaut had three spacesuits, one for flight, one for training and one as a flight backup.
Spacesuits
Lunar Module Pressure Suit for Fred Haise, Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 13
These spacesuit consist of several layers. There is a blue pressure suit layer (shown above) isn’t usually visible because it’s worn under the white outer layer. The pressure suit is an inner bladder pressurized with oxygen.
Shoulder, knee and other joints consist of nylon mesh and bellows. Cables work with the bellows to prevent the suit from ballooning at the joints when pressurized. Without the bellows, the astronaut would not be able to move because the pressure would keep the suit in an expanded position. The cables and pulleys made movement in the suit easier.
Space Program Film
Honoring President Kennedy
Steve at the podium with JFK. What a thrill – LOL
The Wall of Fame honors all of the astronauts in the space program from the beginning. In the upper right corner is a photo of the Challenger astronauts who perished.
A film about the space program’s triumphs and disasters was both enthralling and hard to watch. The part that was so difficult was watching the Challenger explode. Sadly I witnessed it first hand. I was outside, standing on a retaining wall to get a better view, when I watched in horror as the Challenger become a huge ball of billowing smoke. It had such an impact that it was months before I could even look up at the sky. It was just to painful knowing that I witnessed lives being cut short in a horrific manner.
Hitchhiking Space Shuttle
A space shuttle rides piggy back on a 747 and you can go inside both!
Along side the Space Shuttle
But I certainly want to end this story of exploration on a happy note. We were able to actually tour both a 747 used for transporting Space Shuttles and it’s piggy back passenger.
The food for the astronauts – nutritious but doubtfully delicious
The interior of the 747 used to transport the space shuttle
The iconic 747 spiral staircase to the second level
Inside the 747 is a model of the plane with the space shuttle on top.
If you go to NASA Space Center Houston, and should given the opportunity, be prepared to spend hours that will fly by!!! It was an exciting and awe inspiring day.
