A new addition to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will have a forward-thinking approach adaptable as space research progresses.
"Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex" will make its premiere on March 21. Therrin Protze, the attraction's chief operating officer, said during a hard-hat walk-through of the 55,000-square-foot facility this week that it would incorporate futuristic spaceflight simulators and relics but will be able to adapt with advancements.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, UNITED STATES: TO GO WITH STORY by Patrick Moser, US-space-simulation Vistors exit NASA's Shuttle Launch Experience 25 May 2007, at the Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Developed over three years with the help of astronauts, test pilots and NASA experts, the 60-million-dollar ride is designed to give visitors at Florida's seashore space facility a sense of what a real shuttle launch feels like.
Kennedy Space Center: The Future of Space Exploration
Some of the displays will be feasible because of the Space Center's relationship with SpaceX, according to Protze.
"This is all about the next thing, and the future of NASA and Commercial Crew, and all the great companies that are coming to the Space Coast to really highlight the next chapter for space exploration," Protze said per WFTV.
Former NASA astronaut Bruce Melnick joined the behind-the-scenes tour on Thursday. He said he had a unique experience.
"There's no such thing as a zero-gravity room or anything like that," Melnick said. "But to experience the simulation that we have here, and the fact that we are going to be able to have a total immersion in the simulators...this is about as close as you can get."
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What is Inside Kennedy Space Center?
The rooftop of Gateway will feature its own telescope for watching launches and landings. It will be accessible for special occasions as well.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher that supported two launches, including the one that contained CEO Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster as payload, is already in place and runs the length of the display space.
Other Gateway parts, such as a space-flown Orion crew vehicle, a Lockheed Martin lunar home design, a Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew vehicle, and more, will be dwarfed by the launcher. The lineup and arrangement will be flexible because of an air-bearing floor design that makes movement more accessible.
One of the outer walls is also a participant.
According to Orlando Sentinel, guests will find Spaceport KSC on the top level of Gateway, which bills itself as "the first and only airport of the future," according to the attraction. Guests will be transported through four separate space trips and presented with a space-travel theme in a two-story 4D flying theater. One of the destinations is Mars, while another is dubbed "Daring Explorers."
The Planewave CDK20 telescope will be housed on the roof of the Gateway building, which is close to the Rocket Garden and Planet Play area that debuted this year. It will be utilized for launch and landing observation events.
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