Space Center Houston
Entrance to the Space Center Houston | |
Interactive map of Space Center Houston | |
| Location | 1601 NASA Parkway Houston, Texas 77058 US |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°33′07″N 95°05′54″W / 29.5518812°N 95.0983429°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | October 16, 1992 |
| Owner | NASA |
| Operated by | Manned Spaceflight Education Foundation |
| Theme | NASA and space exploration |
| Operating season | Closed on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving |
| Attendance | >1 million (2022) |
| Website | spacecenter |
Space Center Houston is a science museum that serves as the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It was designated a Smithsonian Affiliate museum in 2014. The organization is not owned by NASA and does not receive federal funds -- it is the cornerstone project of the nonprofit Manned Space Flight Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The center does have a strong partnership with NASA Johnson Space Center, the home of Mission Control and astronaut training, which affords the center access to tour the grounds and some buildings with the general public.
The center opened in 1992 replacing the former Visitor Center in Johnson Space Center Building 2. The museum is 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) and displays over 400 space artifacts, including the Mercury 9, Gemini 5, and Apollo 17 flown space capsules and the only space shuttle visitors can walk inside.