Kennedy Space Center, USA

The Kennedy Space Center is an expression of the prestige and pride of Americans for the great achievements of the United States in the field of rocketry and space exploration. It is one of ten National Aeronautics and Space Field Centers in the United States, and since December 1968, the Kennedy Space Center has been the first to launch NASA spacecraft. Alan Shepard, a pilot and businessman who became the first American to travel to space in 1961, took off from here. The first people who set foot on the moon aboard Apollo 11 in 1969 also took off from here. The 7-member crew of ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003 also took off from here, which is exploded upon landing.

Located on the east coast of Florida, 70 km from the city of Orlando on an area of ​​600 thousand acres, KSC is in close proximity to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCDFS). There are about 700 facilities and buildings at the Space Center, including the approximately 160 m tall rocket assembly building, the Space Launch Center, the astronaut apartment building, the three-meter landing facility and the Kennedy Visitor Center.

The vast complex, open to the public, is a place where visitors can learn about the history and future of human and robotic spaceflight. The management of the complex offers a bus tour with a guide who gives full information about the exhibits displayed here. Already at the entrance to the complex, a model of a space shuttle and the iconic countdown clock are on display.

In a ten-story building, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the launch of STS-1, in 2013, an exhibition was opened, where the space shuttle "Atlantis" was displayed, which ended its flight after 130 missions in space.

The exhibition also includes a copy of the Hubble Space Telescope, thanks to which hundreds of pictures of the moon and others were taken. space objects. Dr. Maxime Faget's shuttle from 1969, mimicking the shuttle's 22-degree landing pitch, is also on display here. On the first floor of this impressive building is the "Forever Remembered" exhibition, which tells the story of the 14 astronauts lost in the space shuttles "Challenger" and "Columbia", as well as other employees of the center who died in the line of duty debt.

In the Space Shuttle Launch Simulation Building, visitors can experience unforgettable moments of space launch under the leadership of African-American Space Shuttle Commander Charles

Bolden. In the special hall there are four stimulators, each for 44 people.

In the "USA Astronaut Hall of Fame" can be seen the original NASA emblem from 1959, the Gemini 9A capsule, the Mercury Redstone MR-6 rocket that Dick Slayton (1924) was supposed to fly -1993), Gus Grimm's flight suit from July 21, 1961. On that day, Gus Grimm became the second American to fly into space. Graham died six years later aboard Apollo 1 during a test ignition, along with his two colleagues, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. In the center of the hall is a pavilion where virtual photos can be taken with the Mercury 7 astronauts from 1960.

Notable is the so-called "Rocket Garden" in the visitor complex, where historic rockets that have flown into space are on display. Some of them are mounted vertically like Mercury-Redstone and Mercury-Atlas, and Saturn IB (SA-209) is laid horizontally. The models of the Gemini spacecraft from 1965, the Saturn 5 rocket engine are also here. The models of capsules from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, visitors are allowed to go inside. The Rocket Garden also offers free guided tours daily. And during holidays, it is especially charming with multi-colored lights radiating from the entire complex.

The Apollo / Saturn 5 Center is located 9 miles north of NASA's entrance, where a restored 1967 Saturn 5 rocket is on display. Other exhibits include the Apollo 14 Command Module, an unused lunar module that was intended to fly and to land on the moon; a copy of a lunar rover designed to move on the surface of the moon. Along with the variety of suits worn by the astronauts, a piece of moon rock and part of Apollo 13 can also be seen here.

The center hosts special gatherings, large-scale video screenings and interactive experiences designed to immerse visitors in the adventure of current and future space exploration.