IMG_8040.JPG
The visitor's center is mostly filled with cheesy rides for kids, having very little to do with space. But scattered throughout are some interesting artifacts such as this space suit.

IMG_8042.JPG
Self-portrait on the mask of a spacesuit.

IMG_8043.JPG
A space shuttle main engine.

IMG_8049.JPG
A giant robotic platypus (front) and ant (back) in the visitor's center. Either NASA plans to send these into outer space, or someone thought these would bring in visitors. Nobody cared. Overall I was very disappointed with the visitor's center.

IMG_8052.JPG
Instead of taking the public tour, which takes everyone to just a few large public areas, I took what NASA calls the "Level 9" tour. This was 4-5 hours, limited to a dozen people per day, and is well worth the extra money if you want to see the good stuff. And it all starts out with lunch in the Johnson Space Center cafeteria. Recognize any astronauts?

IMG_8053.JPG
I had to take a photo of my NASA tray. Unfortunately we had to return them when done.

IMG_8054.JPG
Next up is the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. This is off-limits to the regular tours.

IMG_8055.JPG
From one end of the gigantic pool. These photos can't capture the full size of the pool, but trust me, it's huge!

IMG_8059.JPG
Some pool stats. The pool is 202 feet long, 102 feet wide, and over 40 feet deep. 6.2 million gallons of water.

IMG_8061.JPG
A cross-section of the building. The building was originally built without a pool by a NASA contractor for a project they were bidding on. The contractor lost the bid, but NASA needed a large building for a buoyancy lab so they bought it.

IMG_8063.JPG
Looking into the pool and across into some offices. It's hard to see due to reflections, but you can make out part of the space station underwater at the far end of the pool. At the close end is, I think, the open bay of the space shuttle.

IMG_8067.JPG
The tank is used to train astronauts in a simulated zero-gravity environment. The pool contains duplicates of the entire space station (and some future modules), one or two space shuttles, and a few other fun things.

IMG_8074.JPG

IMG_8077.JPG

IMG_8079.JPG
I think underwater here is the inside of the shuttle and the large arm used to grab and launch satellites.

IMG_8091.JPG
One of two active Mission Control Centers. Mission Control at Johnson is focused on manned spaceflight; unmanned launches are managed elsewhere.

IMG_8098.JPG

IMG_8102.JPG
A model of the space station sits on a rolling desk.

IMG_8121.JPG
The other control center room, down the hall from the first. They're hard at work running the Space Station here, and preparing for a spacewalk scheduled for the next day.

IMG_8124.JPG
Flight Director's desk.