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action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/momsvi5/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114My kids are space nerds! For as long as I can remember my oldest child has been enamored with space, Mars and NASA<\/a><\/span> to the point of telling everyone she’s met for the past 7 years that she’s going to be a NASA engineer when she grows up. She’s now 13. She’s still very much enamored with space, but is now planning to find alternate ways to work for NASA other than being a rocket scientist. My younger child has latched on to her enthusiasm. And I love it! Both of them were absolutly over the moon when we took a family vacation that included seeing the Space Shuttle Atlantis<\/a><\/span> at the\u00a0Kennedy Space Center<\/a><\/span>\u00a0on Florida’s Space Coast<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Let me preface that you should plan to spend an entire day at Kennedy Space Center. This is not a quick detour on your way to the cruise ships. There is so much to see and do.<\/p>\n The visitor complex is broken out into 5 different zones.<\/strong><\/p>\n I purchased tickets ahead of time online (see current pricing<\/a><\/span>), and I definitely recommend pre-purchasing for anyone wanting to add-on a special Behind the Gates tour.\u00a0<\/a><\/span>These are specialized tours that range from 1-3 hours long. Some may not be suited for toddlers and babies, but that’s a personal decision.<\/p>\n Read Also: 5 Kid Friendly Things to Do in the Columbia River Gorge<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Our family chose to add-on the Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour<\/a><\/span>. It’s two hours long, but it’s AMAZING! We boarded an air conditioned bus and toured the complex, making several stops to see the Vehicle Assembly Building, Historic launch pads – including the one being used by SpaceX<\/a><\/span>, and a very detailed tour of the historic Launch Complex 39.<\/p>\n If you take a look at the picture below, you can see one of the launch pads in the far distance. When we visited, SpaceX<\/a><\/span> was preparing for another launch. If you time your visit right, you can watch a space launch<\/a><\/span> from Kennedy Space Center.<\/p>\n Following our Behind the Gates tour, we spent a good amount of time in the Mission Zone, where you can get up close and personal with the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Words cannot even express the magnificence of this space craft and all that it represents for space exploration, science, technology, and the people of the United States.<\/p>\n To see the Space Shuttle Atlantis up close brings it all home – the many accomplishments of the space program and the devastation our country has endured and then overcame to allow the space mission to persevere.<\/p>\n As someone in their 40’s, I remember watching on tv the first launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia<\/a><\/span> in 1981. It made history as the first reusable manned spacecraft to travel into space. I also remember watching on live tv when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986 just after liftoff. The entire nation grieved. It was the first time I watched in real time as lives were taken before my eyes, but it wouldn’t be the last time. \u00a0In 2003, I was working in tv news when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentry. The shuttle program was grounded. It eventually resumed until the remaining shuttles were retired.<\/p>\n The Mission Zone also includes more than 60 interactive exhibits, including this slide from the second floor of the exhibit center to the main floor. My kids spent almost 20 minutes climbing the stairs and going down the slide over and over again. Kids and kids at heart can also train like an astronaut and see how astronauts live, eat, and even use the restroom in space. There’s even a space launch simulation<\/a><\/span> – note there is a height restrictions on that one.\u00a0There’s also an entire section where you learn more about the\u00a0Hubble Space Telescope<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and see some of the incredible pictures taken from the Hubble.<\/p>\n Like I mentioned earlier, plan to spend an entire day at Kennedy Space Center. There are several restaurants on site and even a playground for when you and the kids need a break, or between shows. We were exhausted by the time we left, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.<\/p>\n Read Also: Niagara Falls Behind the Falls<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n If you can’t make it to Florida to See the Space Shuttle Atlantis, there are three other remaining shuttles at different locations across the country. The Space Shuttle Endeavour<\/a><\/span> at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The Space Shuttle Discovery<\/a><\/span> is at the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center\u00a0in Virginia. And The Enterprise Test Shuttle<\/a><\/span> is the\u00a0Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My kids are space nerds! For as long as I can remember my oldest child has been enamored with space, Mars and NASA to the point of telling everyone she’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[98],"tags":[22,2,164],"class_list":["post-4771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-family","tag-kids","tag-travel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Behind the Gates<\/h2>\n
Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Atlantis<\/h2>\n
Train Like An Astronaut<\/h2>\n
The Other Zones<\/h2>\n
Other Places to View the Shuttles<\/h2>\n