What is the first phrase that comes to mind when you think of Houston? For me, it is the iconic, “Houston, we have a problem…” line from the movie Apollo 13. So, during our brief stay in Houston we took the opportunity to visit the iconic NASA facility that managed all of the Apollo missions and to whom those words were addressed: the Houston Space Center.
There are 5 major components to the public portion of the facility: a central display area that is reminiscent of the Smithsonian air and space museum; a space shuttle mounted on a 747, with attached structure that allows you to walk into and explore each section; and three areas accessible only on a tram tour: “rocket park,” where you see three original rockets; the astronaut training facility, and mission control.
We ran out of time (and energy), and did not make it to mission control, but spent time in the other 4 portions of the center. Here are our top 10 pictures of the day.
The central visitor area has dazzling displays that cover all aspects of the space program 
There is nothing like up close and personal views of things that look like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie. 
The 747 has been gutted and converted to a long hallway of hands on displays, and you can enter two different levels of the shuttle. 
This is the actual air lock chamber where space walks begin. This prevents internal oxygen from being lost outside 
The Astronaut training center is a vast warehouse-style floor (about 5% shown here), designed to train on every piece of equipment, including foreign vessels, such as the Russion space station components shown here. 
Some of it looks like it comes straight out of a Star Wars movie. 
Rockets are interesting upright. 
But when they lay the down, you get a better appreciation of the size 
and the complexity. The rocket has been separated to show how each piece disconnects from the other during flight. 
This is the impressive base of the rocket. It is no wonder the ground shakes when these ignite!