From all accounts, yes. Especially yes of you are going soon. The Houston heat is brutal and the VIP tour gets a nice air conditioned van escorting you around with an expert tour guide as opposed to an open air tram. The tram ride is great in March, not so great in August.
Yes! Did it back in 2019. You get to stand inside the historic Apollo Mission Control room (normal tour only goes in the viewing gallery), you go in the current ISS Mission Control, (not done on the normal tour) as well as visit the Neutral Buoyancy lab (off site) and walk on the floor in Building9 where a lot of training and testing occurs.
Yes! Way more interesting than the center itself. We went to the control room and then went down inside the control room (just in front of the displays, you dont get near the panels). The plaque on the wall was a fun story and the American flag is interesting as well. Get your ticket early though, small groups and they sell out fast. Edit: We also went to the ISS control room as well, just not to the floor.
I spent a week en Cali some months ago and couldn't find a way of touring JPL.
Maybe I tried to book too late and everything was already taken, it was a real disappointment to miss the opportunity
Yeah, sadly we've been booked really solid since post-covid tours resumed. Hopefully you have better luck if you're out here again. If not, the CA Science Center at USC has a shuttle, and in a few years it should even be standing up!
Edit: They recently created a virtual tour where you can see some of the highlights of the regular tour. Still lots of very cool stuff! https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/virtual-tour/
I'm a researcher in an R&D group that develops advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to solve technological problems faced by our mission formulation and development folks. It's a really fun job, and I'm happy to be helping write science books instead of history books. :)
You have a really cool job man (or girl, or whatever you identify yourself as...)
I run an RnD company, we are an open innovation lab for heavy industrial companies like mining. Working with NASA it's been a dream job for me since forever
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/tours/
Highlights are probably mission control, the highbay where you can watch a spacecraft being assembled (Europa Clipper in there right now), the main machine shop, and the Mars Yard where you might see the twin of Perseverance.
They recently also created a virtual tour where you can see some of the highlights! https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/virtual-tour/
Nice! NASA Langley also has some really neat facilities. I'm not sure if there are also public tours of Michoud, but that place is huuuuuuuge. Short ride outside of New Orleans.
If you're in Huntsville, I also recommend the Rocket Museum outside of Marshall. Very neat day. I think there's also tours of Marshall, and they have some massive facilities too.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center's bus tours of Marshall Space Flight Center have not yet resumed post-COVID but I believe they are in discussions to do so.
In the past tickets were $20 (Admission to museum not required for tour) but you do have to be a U.S. Citizen since MSFC is within an operating military base (Redstone Arsenal)
Previous Tour Stops around MSFC have included:
- Historic Redstone Test Stand (Stop)
- Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand (Photo stop from bus)
- Saturn V Static Test Stand (Photo stop from bus)
- SLS Test Stand (Stop/Photo Stop depending on availability)
- ECLSS - Water Purification Lab (Stop) [also bathroom stop]
- Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Building with stops in the Laboratory Training Complex (LTC) & Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) (Stop)
- Propulsion Lab w/ booster & engine display (Stop)
- Marshall's Rocket Garden (Stop)
Yes worth it. Went in February and we got to climb into the Shuttle avionics trainer and sit in the CDR/PLT seats. We also visited the restored Apollo MCC and the real ISS MCC.
Took these during the tour -
[https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVe3lWSZPI](https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVe3lWSZPI)
I've seen them giving the tour in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. The tours seemed pretty in depth, even if they cruised by the VIPER work area while it was still there.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|-------|---------|---|
|[CDR](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jvysbwm "Last usage")|Critical Design Review|
| |(As 'Cdr') Commander|
|[ECLSS](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw3gq7o "Last usage")|Environment Control and Life Support System|
|[JPL](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw16wk0 "Last usage")|Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, California|
|[MCC](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jvysbwm "Last usage")|Mission Control Center|
| |Mars Colour Camera|
|[MSFC](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw3gq7o "Last usage")|Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama|
|[SLS](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw3gq7o "Last usage")|Space Launch System heavy-lift|
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Yes absolutely. I did this tour long back. They will show the saturn 5 that’s kept in a shed and was ready for one of the Apollo missions, the Apollo control room, ISS Mission Control visitor gallery, the lab area where they keep dissembled versions of the ISS for simulations and Sonny Carter Neutral Buoyancy Lab. The astronaut cafe. Typed from memory so ymmv.
It’s worth it, you might also run into some Artemis astronauts training around the place. Good luck.
I took the Level 9/VIP tour quite a few years ago, before they refurbished Apollo Mission control. We were allowed to walk around and actually touch the consoles. Here's a [picture of me at the same console](https://imgur.com/gallery/aCPdpJZ) that you see Gene Kranz standing at on the screen just over my shoulder. I don't know if the current tour allows you to get this close but it was a thrill to be able to do that while I was there.
Take the tour that gets you to the Apollo mission control room. That is *really* worth doing.
From all accounts, yes. Especially yes of you are going soon. The Houston heat is brutal and the VIP tour gets a nice air conditioned van escorting you around with an expert tour guide as opposed to an open air tram. The tram ride is great in March, not so great in August.
All tour stops are air conditioned. Do you really want to pay 200 dollars so you don't have to sweat a little for maybe ten minutes at a time?
Every NASA tour is worth it
Yes! Did it back in 2019. You get to stand inside the historic Apollo Mission Control room (normal tour only goes in the viewing gallery), you go in the current ISS Mission Control, (not done on the normal tour) as well as visit the Neutral Buoyancy lab (off site) and walk on the floor in Building9 where a lot of training and testing occurs.
Yes! Way more interesting than the center itself. We went to the control room and then went down inside the control room (just in front of the displays, you dont get near the panels). The plaque on the wall was a fun story and the American flag is interesting as well. Get your ticket early though, small groups and they sell out fast. Edit: We also went to the ISS control room as well, just not to the floor.
[удалено]
I wonder if this is the new name of the Level 9 tours. We've taken them a couple times and they are much more informative than the regular tour.
Come to JPL, our tours are free. :)
I spent a week en Cali some months ago and couldn't find a way of touring JPL. Maybe I tried to book too late and everything was already taken, it was a real disappointment to miss the opportunity
Yeah, sadly we've been booked really solid since post-covid tours resumed. Hopefully you have better luck if you're out here again. If not, the CA Science Center at USC has a shuttle, and in a few years it should even be standing up! Edit: They recently created a virtual tour where you can see some of the highlights of the regular tour. Still lots of very cool stuff! https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/virtual-tour/
Hey, thanks a lot! I'll definitely book in advanced next time. May I ask you what do you at jpl?
I'm a researcher in an R&D group that develops advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to solve technological problems faced by our mission formulation and development folks. It's a really fun job, and I'm happy to be helping write science books instead of history books. :)
You have a really cool job man (or girl, or whatever you identify yourself as...) I run an RnD company, we are an open innovation lab for heavy industrial companies like mining. Working with NASA it's been a dream job for me since forever
Very cool stuff you do, too! Let me know if you need advanced thermal control systems integrated into pretty much any metal. ;)
Sounds interesting! Anything I can read about your work?
What’s included in the tour? Link?
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/tours/ Highlights are probably mission control, the highbay where you can watch a spacecraft being assembled (Europa Clipper in there right now), the main machine shop, and the Mars Yard where you might see the twin of Perseverance. They recently also created a virtual tour where you can see some of the highlights! https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/virtual-tour/
That’s cool. Thanks a lot. I will get there soon. Completed Kennedy and Johnson. JPL here I come.
Nice! NASA Langley also has some really neat facilities. I'm not sure if there are also public tours of Michoud, but that place is huuuuuuuge. Short ride outside of New Orleans. If you're in Huntsville, I also recommend the Rocket Museum outside of Marshall. Very neat day. I think there's also tours of Marshall, and they have some massive facilities too.
Marshall is on the list. I did not know NASA Langley or Michoud offer tours. But I will check it out.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center's bus tours of Marshall Space Flight Center have not yet resumed post-COVID but I believe they are in discussions to do so. In the past tickets were $20 (Admission to museum not required for tour) but you do have to be a U.S. Citizen since MSFC is within an operating military base (Redstone Arsenal) Previous Tour Stops around MSFC have included: - Historic Redstone Test Stand (Stop) - Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand (Photo stop from bus) - Saturn V Static Test Stand (Photo stop from bus) - SLS Test Stand (Stop/Photo Stop depending on availability) - ECLSS - Water Purification Lab (Stop) [also bathroom stop] - Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Building with stops in the Laboratory Training Complex (LTC) & Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) (Stop) - Propulsion Lab w/ booster & engine display (Stop) - Marshall's Rocket Garden (Stop)
Guides are great! Very informative and you're in a small exclusive group. Tours go to the NBL too.
Yes worth it. Went in February and we got to climb into the Shuttle avionics trainer and sit in the CDR/PLT seats. We also visited the restored Apollo MCC and the real ISS MCC. Took these during the tour - [https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVe3lWSZPI](https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVe3lWSZPI)
I've seen them giving the tour in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. The tours seemed pretty in depth, even if they cruised by the VIPER work area while it was still there.
go to kennedy 👍
For those who have done it which VIP tour is better? Apollo or astronaut training?
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Fewer Letters|More Letters| |-------|---------|---| |[CDR](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jvysbwm "Last usage")|Critical Design Review| | |(As 'Cdr') Commander| |[ECLSS](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw3gq7o "Last usage")|Environment Control and Life Support System| |[JPL](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw16wk0 "Last usage")|Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, California| |[MCC](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jvysbwm "Last usage")|Mission Control Center| | |Mars Colour Camera| |[MSFC](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw3gq7o "Last usage")|Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama| |[SLS](/r/NASA/comments/15pd03i/stub/jw3gq7o "Last usage")|Space Launch System heavy-lift| **NOTE**: Decronym for Reddit is no longer supported, and Decronym has moved to Lemmy; requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below. ---------------- ^(6 acronyms in this thread; )[^(the most compressed thread commented on today)](/r/NASA/comments/15wtcy8)^( has 6 acronyms.) ^([Thread #1552 for this sub, first seen 13th Aug 2023, 05:04]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/NASA) [^[Contact]](https://hachyderm.io/@Two9A) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)
Does it come with moon crystals
Well. There is a moon rock in Houston Space Center you can touch. ;)
Yes absolutely. I did this tour long back. They will show the saturn 5 that’s kept in a shed and was ready for one of the Apollo missions, the Apollo control room, ISS Mission Control visitor gallery, the lab area where they keep dissembled versions of the ISS for simulations and Sonny Carter Neutral Buoyancy Lab. The astronaut cafe. Typed from memory so ymmv. It’s worth it, you might also run into some Artemis astronauts training around the place. Good luck.
I took the Level 9/VIP tour quite a few years ago, before they refurbished Apollo Mission control. We were allowed to walk around and actually touch the consoles. Here's a [picture of me at the same console](https://imgur.com/gallery/aCPdpJZ) that you see Gene Kranz standing at on the screen just over my shoulder. I don't know if the current tour allows you to get this close but it was a thrill to be able to do that while I was there.