Role: It is the official visitor center for the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), which is the home of human spaceflight training and Mission Control.
Exhibits and Experiences: The center is an educational museum and entertainment complex with over 400 space artifacts. Key attractions include:
Independence Plaza: A massive exhibit featuring a replica Space Shuttle mounted on an actual shuttle carrier aircraft (a Boeing 747).
NASA Tram Tour: The most popular attraction, taking visitors onto the JSC campus for a behind-the-scenes look. Stops include Rocket Park (featuring one of only three remaining actual Saturn V rockets) and the Historic Mission Control (used during the Gemini and Apollo missions, including the first lunar landing).
Starship Gallery: Houses flown spacecraft and national treasures, such as the Apollo 17 Command Module and a touchable Moon rock.
Mission Mars: An exhibit exploring what it takes to travel to Mars and how humans might live there.
