Space Center Houston

Well, This place represents space and NASA in ways the builders probably didnt ever imagine. Like many NASA projects the cost is 2-3 times what it should cost to enter. And there is not a real focus on what is going on or how to get you to where you want to go.

And talk about space! when you walk in there is a giant open hall that has almost nothing in it and very little to do with what is there.

There are some great things to find here, (moon rock, space capsules, space suits) but you need to search for it. But the way it is presented adds almost nothing to the item. the tours are great, but the payoff is not worth the the wait. It is cool to see a little of Johnson Space Center, but with the way NASA is right now, there is not much action.

Ultimately It is a perfect example of our current space program, It started out to be a museum, they have all the kinds of space artifacts to make it great, but then it turned and they wanted it to be a theme park but they didn't end up being that either because there are no rides or adrenalin excitement kinds of stuff. They have the big space when you come in to show off new features and things, but then they got distracted and built a giant mcdonalds playhouse, and with that the hall exhibits are mostly kid stuff whatever they think is cool at the time (Angry Birds(the game), a slime lab, a lego thing) and only 4-10ish kids are interested in it.

This place has become a tourist trap or a place for local people to get a season pass and take their elementary age kids to play in the ball pit.

Good museum: not really
Adventure: not really
Huge spaces made to accommodate mass numbers of people who aren't there: totally
Over-sized McDonald's playhouse: yes
Worth a road-trip: nope
worth a stop along the way: maybe, if you have kids under 10

Wow. There are some pretty harsh reviews here. Having just been to the Space Center, I can honestly say the negativity is rather exaggerated. The complaints about the kid-related stuff are absurd. It's only part of what's offered. What you will find is an honest effort to provide an experience for everyone at any age.

As you can imagine, they get a ton of school groups. We saw both real young kids and a busload wearing National Honor Society t-shirts. The young kids were being entertained -- and educated in a way they won't soon forget -- by a woman who was energetically explaining advanced principles of physics with very impressive visual demonstrations that evoked everything from oohs and ahs to downright squeals and laughter from her young audience. There was also a section of the museum that was clearly intended for this younger crowd, which we skipped.

For the older kids and for us with considerably more years under our belts, there was plenty of great museum exhibits and artifacts. I found myself staring in awe at an exhibit of damaged shielding materials, like the very thick piece of metal plate with a crater in it that was caused by a small piece of plastic debris that struck it at something like 60,000 mph. Other exhibits and artifacts covered all aspects of nearly 60 years of space exploration, from the original 1950s satellites through the early Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, the space shuttles, the international space station, and right into the current planning for Mars.

For me, who as a kid remembers that incredible moment watching Neil Armstrong on a black and white t.v. stepping on the moon, the highlight was sitting in the very same visitors gallery once reserved for dignitaries and astronaut families looking through the glass window directly into the actual mission control room we saw on all those missions in the 60s and 70s. What I found really amazing was learning that the five rooms of mainframe computers used for the moon missions had between them in total the same amount of memory that today is used by just seven photos on a cell phone!

There are a few tips I can pass on. We went on a weekday when the crowd was smaller. We found out that the school groups all come in the morning, so plan to come in the late morning and start by looking at the exhibits. Then take the tram tours after the kids leave. There are two tram tours. If you have time for only one, take the blue tour that goes to mission control. Both go to rocket park where you can walk around the massive Saturn rocket used in the Apollo missions. Also, your AAA card will get you $5 off each admission.

In the end, what you experience depends entirely on your own attitude walking in, and maybe a little research and pre-planning to know what you want to make sure you don't want to miss. I feel sorry for the people here who got so bothered about what I consider relatively minor issues, that they missed out on fully appreciating a truly unique American historical experience!

Agreed. This place costs $6 for parking, then $30 entry fee, but that only gets you in the door, if you want to try out any of the rides or simulators, it costs $6-10 extra per ride. Then if you actually want to see the spaceships, then you have to but a tram tour, which takes an hour and you have to wait in line for the tram to collect you, depending on how many people there are you could be waiting a really long time. Way over priced

While there are a few neat things to see, most of it has nothing to do with space and is just a giant tourist trap. The best things to do are the tours in my opinion, go see the control centers and the old rockets/spacecraft. Skip the giant jungle gym and the Spongebob exhibits.

I can understand both sides of the reviews. We just left and I went with 17, 14 and 12 year old boys. Here’s what I found.

Price-it was $30 per person even for my 12 year old. Ok, I’ve paid more and less for museums and educational activities. Once I got in, it should be a little less expensive for what is offered.

Material-very information info and I learned a lot, as did my boys, about the space program in general and loving in space. I loved learning the things but have to say, it was mostly presentation style when it wasn’t interactive for the kids. So let’s get to that.....

Kids interactive parts- almost half were broken. They had many items that kids could do to learn things and sometimes they would have 2. When there was 2, almost every other one was broken.

Outdoor items- ok, this was very cool! As was going through the Skylab. The movie was just as great too!

All in all, we spent about 4 hours there. My kids even say it was worth the money, but just barely because so many items weren’t working.

And be prepared: it got so crowded that we had to shuffle our feet to go through many parts!

You can't see the Houston Control Center or any other facility actually used for the space program. You see the Visitor Center that is purpose built to fleece the American Public. With a timed ticket you can take the "NASA tram tour" which only takes you to the building next door, that you could have walked to, that contains a rocket.

We bought a premium photo package where they cut out your image and superimpose it on different backgrounds, but the cut-out was amateurish - - I contacted them to see if they would re-do the photo and they didn't reply, either because this meets their low standards or because they don't care as they know once they have fleeced guests never return.

It was an overpriced, overcrowded kid thing which is exactly what I expected. Go into it expecting that and you won’t be disappointed. We loved it. Lots to see and tons of information. It kept my kids entertained. There was something for everything and you could make the trip as short or quick as you needed. We left with space ice cream and everyone begging to go back.

We loved our trip here. A must do if you are in the Houston area. Also a must do if you love space exploration. There was plenty to see to make a day of it. The grounds were well kept (as you would expect them to be that hasn't been our experience at all NASA locations). The things on display were awesome to both see and tour the inside of. COVID was still in full force and with this being a federal property they had people reminding everyone constantly to wear their masks and put them on correctly. Here is the link to our blog if you would like to read more: https://www.facebook.com/escapervist/posts/158424866124452

It is currently closed. You can drive in and take a picture in the first parking lot by the gates.

My wife and I had a great time - exhibits, movies, a tour, tons of mementos. This is the third NASA museum we have visited and found it very interesting. You can go on the plane that carried the space shuttle from California to Florida and even visit the shuttle riding above. I would allow 4 hours minimum to see it all and get there early!