Houstonmetropolis of the south

The official visitors center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston—about 25 miles from downtown—covers the many aspects of space exploration with movies, extensive exhibits and activities. Tours include a “Feel of Space” simulator, where a volunteer from the audience demonstrates how small tasks like eating are different for astronauts living in the microgravity environment of a space station, and tram visits to the International Space Station Assembly Building and NASA control center. For visitors with an especially keen interest in space, the center offers one five-hour “Level 9” tour per day. Limited to 12 people, this tour includes extended visits to the historic and new mission control centers, the astronaut’s training facility and a space environment simulation lab—as well as a lunch at the Astronaut Cafeteria, where astronauts eat every day.