On April 12, 2011, the 30th anniversary of the launch of STS-1, NASA announced that Space Shuttle Atlantis would be provided to the visitors center for display after its last flight on STS-135 and subsequent decommissioning. In 2010, the center announced a $100 million plan to house a retired Space Shuttle orbiter in a 10-story 64,000 square feet (5,900 m 2) facility. Space Shuttle Atlantis main engines, Orbital Maneuvering System, and Reaction Control System on display in 2016 These were previously housed in the Mercury Mission Control facility, which was on the National Register of Historic Places, but it was demolished in May 2010 due to concerns about asbestos and the estimated $5-million cost to renovate the building after 40 years of exposure to salt air. Among them is the Gemini 9A spacecraft, as well as a recreation of the Mercury Control Center using consoles and furniture relocated from the original building at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Astronaut Hall of Fame and several displays of artifacts. Heroes & Legends, which replaced the previous Early Space Exploration exhibit, houses the U.S. Elsewhere on the Visitor Complex grounds is the foundation's Center for Space Education, which includes a resource center for teachers, among other facilities and the Kurt Debus Conference Center. The most visible of these is the Space Mirror Memorial, also known as the Astronaut Memorial, a huge black granite mirror through-engraved with the names of all astronauts who died in the line of duty. The Visitor Complex includes two facilities run by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. Mercury Control consoles in Heroes & Legends. The tour formerly included the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) where modules for the International Space Station were tested. One simulates the environment inside an Apollo firing room during an Apollo launch, and another simulates the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Two theaters allow the visitor to relive parts of the Apollo program. The Apollo/Saturn V Center, located 6 miles (9.7 km) north inside NASA's gates, is a large museum built around its centerpiece exhibit, a restored Saturn V launch vehicle, and features other space related exhibits, including an Apollo capsule. Astronaut Hall of Fame resides in a new exhibit at the visitor complex, Heroes & Legends. Previously, it used to include admission to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, 6 miles (9.7 km) to the west. Included in the base admission is tour-bus transportation to Launch Complex 39 and the surrounding KSC property, and the Apollo/Saturn V Center. There were 1.7 million visitors to the visitor complex in 2016.Ī Space Shuttle stack in front of the Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit building A bus tour, included with admission, encompasses the separate Apollo/Saturn V Center. The visitor complex also has daily presentations from a veteran NASA astronaut. The center also provides astronaut training experiences, including a multi-axial chair and Mars Base simulator. The 'Space Shuttle Atlantis' exhibit contains the Atlantis orbiter and the Shuttle Launch Experience, a simulated ride into space. It features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memorabilia, shows, two IMAX theaters, and a range of bus tours of the spaceport. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Spaceport USA, Visitor Information Complex

Nasa kennedy space center gift shop