Space Center’s Visitor Complex: A Window into NASA Operations

July 27, 2022

America’s Spaceport – Part 4

By Bob Granath

In the summer of 1966, America’s space program raced forward with Gemini flights in Earth orbit while new facilities were built to meet President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the Moon. During that time, NASA provided an opportunity to view work going on inside the gates of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. In years to come, the visitor complex became one of the premier attractions in Florida.

The first day, 1,552 people took bus tours of the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Kennedy Air Force Station. TWA operated the small fleet of buses. The inset is a sample ticket stub from 1966. Photo credit: NASA

The three-day mission of Gemini X astronauts John Young and Mike Collins began with a liftoff from Cape Kennedy Air Force Station (now Cape Canaveral Space Force Station) on July 18, 1966 and ended with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean three days later. The next day, visitors on Florida’s Space Coast, for the first time, were given a chance to see up close the growing spaceport as bus tours began.

Beginning in 1963, Sunday drive through tours had been available at Cape Kennedy. However, the closest most visitors to the area could get to the space program was a view of the Cape from Port Canaveral’s Jetty Park and a look at the missile display in front of the headquarters of the Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base.

The sign at the entrance give the times for bus tours and drive through access available during the mid-1960s. In the background is s full-scale mock-up of a Mercury Redstone rocket. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath

In the early 1960s Kennedy Space Center’s director, Dr. Kurt Debus, believed Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo belonged to all Americans. As he thought about people driving on the highway running though Brevard County, he looked for a way to open the complex to visitors.

“Kurt pointed to a wall map and explained that millions rode along U.S. 1 (highway) annually,” said Gordon Harris, the center’s director of Public Affairs from 1963 until 1974. “My primary task was to find a way to open Kennedy to the public.”

Harris recalled receiving support from the agency’s headquarters in Washington.

“In 1965 Debus, his deputy, Al Siepert, and I briefed NASA’s deputy administrator, Dr. Robert Seamans, on our plan for public access,” he said. “Seamans approved, telling us to keep a tight reign on any fees charged to visitors.”

NASA Tours

During the 1960s, the bus tour included a drive though of the Air Force museum stopping at the pad and gantry of Launch Complex 36 where America’s first satellite was launched in 1958. — During the 1960s, the bus tour included a drive though of the Air Force museum stopping at the pad and gantry of Launch Complex 26 where America’s first satellite was launched in 1958. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath

Bus tours of the NASA center and Cape Kennedy were operated by Trans-World Airlines and provided a first-hand view of the space program. From the beginning, the tours were a resounding success.

“GSA (General Services Administration) leased 10 decrepit buses, with two million miles on them and we installed sound systems,” Harris said. “Operating from a small building complex on the Indian River shore, the program gave some 1,500 visitors a tour of Kennedy and the Cape on July 22, 1966.”

With the tours scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., Fayetteville, N.C. residents Ed Wilkerson and his wife arrived at 6:30 a.m. He worked for the Carolina Telephone Company and she taught school. Mrs. Wilkerson explained that she believed the tour would be of “great help in answering my students’ questions about the space program.”

“Being a taxpayer,” Ed Wilkerson said,” I was glad to see where my money was going and how it was being put to use.”

That first day, additional buses were added from the original fleet of the GSA motor pool to meet the demand. Departure time for the first bus was advanced from 8:30 to 8 a.m., and buses continued to leave past the originally planned closure time of 3:30 p.m. each afternoon to accommodate the flood of guests.

In this 1966 photo, the tour bus pauses at Launch Complex 14 where Mercury astronauts were launched on Earth orbital missions. In the foreground is the monument to Project Mercury. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath

Departing from Gate 3, the three-hour tours drove through the Kennedy Industrial Area and then across the Banana River to Cape Kennedy. At the Cape, visitors saw the many rockets then on display at the Air Force Museum at Launch Complex 26 and were driven up “ICBM Row” the line of red-painted gantries where rockets and missile were launching satellites into orbit and probes to the Moon and planets.

The Aug. 4, 1966 edition of NASA’s newspaper at Kennedy, Spaceport New, reported, “Men, women and children from nearly all the 50 states, several Canadian provinces and at least a dozen countries around the world boarded air conditioned buses to see close-up the world-famous facilities of the spaceport and Cape Kennedy.”

*From the beginning, tours of the Kennedy Space Center drive past the massive Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky*

Many visitors placed Launch Complex 39 at the top of their list of what impressed them. While the Gemini program had two more missions to go, at Kennedy it was “full speed ahead” with Apollo. The Vehicle Assembly Building had been completed and the first Saturn V stood on Launch Complex 39A. Throughout the late 1960s, the bus tour stopped at both locations.

During the first week of operation, 13,555 guests took the guided bus tour. Within three months, nearly 100,000 visitors had been hosted. Within one year, 475,000 guests visited Kennedy and the Cape, far exceeding NASA’s expectations.

Visitor Information Center

After a year of bus tours, the Visitor Information Center opened on Aug. 1, 1967. The two connected buildings each had auditoriums (one for space lectures and the other for films), displays of information on space and hardware, a snack bar, souvenir sales area and bus ticket centers. When the new facility opened, Debus said one way of gaining public support was through better understanding of the space programs by the American people.

“Opening of the Visitor Information Center and the bus tours is a long step in that direction,” he said.

By 1969, the year of the first Moon landing mission, Apollo 11, the visitor center became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Florida.

*During the summer of 1968, guests climb stairs to get a view of the cockpit of a full-scale mock-up of an Apollo lunar module. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath*

Renamed Spaceport USA in 1985, the visitor center added full-scale mockups of launch vehicles, historic displays, an IMAX theater and the Astronauts Memorial were added. In the IMAX theater, spectacular large-format films are shown on a five-and-a-half story tall screen. The first IMAX film shot in space by NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions was The Dream is Alive, a presentation funded primarily by Lockheed Martin, with support by NASA and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

A scene from The Dream is Alive is shown in the Visitor Complex IMAX theater on a five-and-a-half story screen. Many call it the closest thing to being there. — *A scene from* The Dream is Alive is shown in the Visitor Complex IMAX theater on a five-and-a-half story screen. Photo credit: IMAX/Lockheed Martin

Among the IMAX movies now showing is Journey to Space narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart, star of Star Trek: The next Generation. The 40-minute film includes interviews with NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander of the final Space Shuttle mission, and Serena Aunon, recently selected for future missions. Journey to Space gives an overview of NASA’s past space accomplishments, current activities and plans for the future.

The Space Mirror Astronaut Memorial was dedicated in May 1991 to honor Americans who lost their lives in the exploration and utilization of space. The black granite reflective surface includes the names of the crews of Apollo 1, STS-51L and STS-107, as well as others who perished supporting spaceflight.

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation built and maintains the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The black granite reflective surface includes the names of those who lost their lives supporting spaceflight. Photo credit: Astronauts Memorial Foundation

Apollo/Saturn V Center

In 1995, NASA awarded the concessioner contract to operate the visitor center and the bus tours to Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts. At the time, plans already were underway for the construction of the Apollo/Saturn V Center. One of three remaining rockets that sent NASA astronauts to the Moon is the centerpiece on display. The 363-foot launch vehicle had been on display outside the Vehicle Assembly Building since the U.S. Bicentennial Exposition on Science and Technology in 1976. However, years of exposure to the Sun, rain and corrosive salt air had taken a toll.

In January 1997, the Apollo/Saturn V Center opened adjacent to the Banana Creek Launch Viewing Site. It not only served as a stop during bus tours of the spaceport, but gave invited guests awaiting a launch an opportunity to see an extensive set of displays associated with the Apollo Moon landing program.

Exhibits at the Apollo/Saturn V Center include an opportunity to get a closer look at an authentic Apollo command/service module (CSM). The steps allow guests to peer into the tunnel used by astronauts to move between the CSM and lunar module. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath

The centerpiece of the 100,000-square-foot Apollo/Saturn V Center is an actual Saturn V rocket originally designated for one of three more lunar landings — Apollos 18, 19 or 20. All were cancelled due to NASA budget cuts. This left the unused launch vehicles that now are on display at Kennedy, the Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Exhibits at the Apollo/Saturn V Center provide an opportunity to get a closer look at the command module (CM) flown during the Apollo 14 mission. Additionally, an unflown command service module is displayed with steps allowing guests to peer into the tunnel used by astronauts to move between the CSM and lunar module.

Lunar module 9 is on ground level with simulated space-suited astronauts working nearby. This too is a lunar module that could have been used had the additional three missions not been cancelled.

Visitors to the Apollo/Saturn V Center can watch a re-creation of the launch of Apollo 8 in the reconstructed Apollo era Launch Control Center Firing Room. At the other end of the center, a theater plays out the drama of the first Moon landing.

Heroes and Legends

In September 2002, the Visitor Complex took over the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. As part of the Heroes and Legends attraction, it features the world’s most comprehensive collection of astronaut memorabilia honoring space explorers, especially those inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Viewed through the doors is the rotunda of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame featuring a statue of astronaut Alan Shepard, America’s first person in space. The hall includes plaques honoring all the men and women who have been enshrined. Photo credit: NASA

The Heroes and Legends attraction opened in November 2016. In addition to the home of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, displays honor the Americans currently enshrined there. The facility looks back to the history of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo as well as providing background and context for space exploration and the legendary men and women who pioneered the nation’s journey into space.

According to Therrin Protze, Delaware North’s chief operating officer of the visitor complex, the Heroes and Legends attraction is just inside the entrance to set the stage as guests arrive.

One of the most popular sights at the Visitor complex is the Rocket Garden featuring authentic launch vehicles mostly from the 1950s and 1960s. From the left are a Mercury Redstone, Mercury Atlas, Jupiter C, Thor Delta, Atlas Agena, Juno II, Delta II and a Gemini Titan. In the background, displayed horizontally, is an Apollo era Saturn 1B. — One of the most popular sights at the Visitor Complex is the Rocket Garden featuring authentic launch vehicles mostly from the 1950s and 1960s. From the left are a Mercury Redstone, Mercury Atlas, Jupiter C, Thor Delta, Atlas Agena, Juno II, Delta II and a Gemini Titan. In the background, displayed horizontally, is an Apollo era Saturn 1B. Photo credit: Delaware North

“We’re focusing on a story to create what we consider a ‘launch pad’ for our visitors,” he said. “This is an opportunity to learn about the amazing attributes of our heroes behind the historical events that have shaped the way we look at space, the world and the future. We are grateful to NASA for allowing us to tell the NASA story to millions of guests from all over the world.”

The Astronaut Hall of Fame exhibit is housed in a rotunda. It connects visitors to each of the astronaut inductees through state-of-the-art interactive technology. A 365-degree video cylinder with five interactive kiosk stations provide access to stories about each of the Hall of Fame astronauts.

Interactive features include the original consoles of the Mercury Mission Control room with the world map that was used to follow the path of capsules between tracking stations. Also on display are the Sigma 7 Mercury spacecraft piloted by Wally Schirra during his six-orbit mission in October 1962 and the Gemini IX capsule flown by Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan for three days in June 1966.

Space Shuttle Atlantis

The Space Shuttle Atlantis facility opened in June 2013 featuring the orbiter that flew 33 times, completing the final mission in the 30-year program having circled the Earth 4,848 times and traveling nearly 126,000,000 miles.

“We are so proud to partner with NASA to build the only place in the world to experience the remarkable voyages of Atlantis — one of the most storied spacecraft in the U.S. space program,” Rick Abramson, president of Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, said at the museum’s opening. “Without question, Kennedy Space Center is the best place to experience, learn about and be inspired by space exploration – past, present and future.”

*The Space Shuttle Atlantis is displayed with payload bay doors open as it appeared while in Earth orbit. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath*

Atlantis made the journey to its new home in November 2012, traveling 10 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the $100 million exhibit facility that showcases the shuttle. Atlantis was raised 30 feet off the ground and rotated 43 degrees to be displayed as if it was in space. Its nose is 26.5 feet off the ground while its portside wingtip is only 7.5 feet from the floor.

Displays in the 90,000-square-foot facility tell the story of the entire Space Shuttle Program, including the roles of thousands of people working behind the scenes. Exhibits include the program’s key role in the launch and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as assembly of the International Space Station.

Gateway

The newest addition to Kennedy’s Visitor Complex is Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, opened in May 2022. While much of the center tells the story of NASA’s history, this facility focuses on of what is now happening in America’s space program. The attraction features NASA and commercial spacecraft and displays including a flown Orion capsule, a recovered SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage, one of the company’s Dragon spacecraft and a mock-up of a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft that is part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

“Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex is an attraction in which guests will personally experience NASA’s next giant leap and beyond, highlighting all the excitement within the space industry,” said Protze. “Guests can peek at the future of space travel.”

Orion is the spacecraft NASA astronauts will use to return to the Moon as part of the Artemis Program. The first mission of the spacecraft was Exploration Flight Test-1, flown on a high Earth orbit mission on Dec. 5, 2014.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex currently is the only location in which displays each of NASA’s human flight spacecraft. At the top, from the left, is the Mercury 8 capsule, Sigma 7, the Gemini IX spacecraft and the Apollo 14 command module. On the bottom row is the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Orion spacecraft flown on Exploration Flight Test-1. Photo credit: Mercury, Gemini and Atlantis: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath, Apollo: NASA, Orion: Delaware North

For now, the Kennedy Visitor Complex is the only place that displays flown Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle and Orion spacecraft.

While the expansive Visitor Complex offers much to see, the bus tour remains popular. The ride through Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 area takes guests past mission-critical areas of the center such as the Vehicle Assembly Building, Launch Complex 39B – where the Space Launch System rocket with an Orion will liftoff — and the Apollo/Saturn V Center.

The bus tour from the Visitor Complex takes guests on a ride through the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39 area takes traveling past mission-critical areas such as the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39B. Visitors then are transported to the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Photo credit: Delaware North

For 56 years, millions of visitors have looked through the Visitor Complex “window” to see for themselves work taking place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the world’s premier, multi-user spaceport.

For more on the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, check out their website at: www.kennedyspacecenter.com

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are my own. I did not receive compensation for this post.