The Inside Scoop by our Local Expert
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in southeast Houston, Texas, is NASA's center for human spaceflight activities. JSC covers 1,620 acres and consists of 100 buildings.Home to the U.S. astronaut corps, Johnson Space Center trains astronauts from the nation and its international partners. JSC houses Mission Control Center, in which NASA manages all human spaceflight for the U.S., including all Space Shuttle missions and International Space Station activities. Johnson Space Center oversees operations at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, the coordinating facility for the upcoming Constellation program to replace the Space Shuttle program.The Johnson Space Center served as the former Lunar Receiving Laboratory, where most lunar samples are stored. Visitors to JSC can observe the Saturn V rocket and an Apollo CSM.JSC employs approximately 3,000 civil servants, including more than 100 astronauts, as well as over 15,000 contractors from 15 contracting firms. Johnson Space Center also leads NASA research programs, contributing spaceflight technologies to areas of medicine, energy, agriculture, transportation, communications, and electronics.Each building in the Johnson Space Center is numbered, not named, and serves a unique purpose. The visitor's center, Space Center Houston, is also on the campus.Visitors to Johnson Space Center will find a terrific selection of fine hotels in the area. Here is a look at some of the accommodations: