Houston in 2 days: NASA and surroundings

Here is where the magic happens. Take the tram tours to explore the real NASA grounds. Visit the place where astronauts prepare for their space journeys. Step onto the very room from where Apollo 13 was brought back to earth – does ‘Houston, we have a problem’ sound familiar?

“But do I have to choose one of them???” Noooooo. You can and should take both and they are included in your admission to the Houston Space Center.

But as each tram tour takes about 90 minutes – and lines are usually huge – if time is an issue you might have to pick one.

Both tours are amazing and completely different experiences. Which one to choose – if you really must – is a very personal matter. Here is what you can expect, so you can decide by yourself:

Mission Control Center Tour 

It takes you into the legendary Christopher C. Kraft Mission Control facility, from where history was made. The missions controlled from this room include early space shuttle missions and the first lunar landing mission. 

And it’s also the place from where the famous and almost tragic Apollo 13 expedition – ‘Houston, we have a problem’ – was brought back to earth.

Astronaut Training Facility

Here is where the future of the space expeditions take place. 

This tram tour takes you to the facility where astronauts train for future missions. And where engineers and designers work developing the next generation of space vehicles and equipment – you can see pretty cool mockups there.

Note:
Both tours finish at the Saturn V facility/ Rocket Park, where you can check on a real Saturn V massive rocket.
You should definitively stop there – but only once, in the second tour just skip it by remaining in the tram.