NASA

Another outing.  This time to we went to Space Center Houston, NASA's official visitors center for the Johnston Space Center.  But first we had lunch at a uniquely Texan BBQ place called Rudy's.  The place had a wonderful smell of oak wood which is what they use to grill and cook their meats.  Good food and a an authentic Texan experience!

The Space Center Houston is an interactive museum and educational center for NASA.  Lots of interesting and informative stuff.  From there we took a tram tour of the sprawling NASA Lyndon B. Johnston Space Center right across the street.  JSC is NASA's center for astronaut training, research and flight control.  We visited several buildings there.  The Mission Control Center building where we observed the original flight control room which was used up to 1996.  This was the nerve center for a lot of amazing history!  The moon landing, historic launches etc.  We also visited the Space Vehicle Mock-Up Facility.  A very huge and interesting place as well.  They are in the process of removing the Space Shuttle mock-ups that will be replaced by new space vehicle mock-ups.  We also visited a building housing a massive Saturn V rocket, the type used on all the Apollo missions.
 

Space shuttle rocket engine

"The Eagle has landed! "-Original Mission Control Room w/ original 1960's equipment- "Houston, we have a problem" 

Space vehicle mock-up building

A space robot to be used on future flights

Astronaut training to perform tasks in zero gravity 

Mock-up of the International Space Station

Saturn V rocket.  The ones that went to the moon!