Also included in the tour of NASA’s Houston Space Center are visits to the original Saturn 5 Rocket and the Independence Space Shuttle.
During my visit here in June 2023, a free tram tour took me to where they are on display.
How to Visit
Within the Houston Space Center’s main hall, look out for the sign for TRAM TOUR and board one of them before 3:30 pm when the last one departs.
After about 10 minutes of travel through the picturesque landscape of sunny Texas, the humongous shed or hangar that hosts the Saturn 5 rocket came in sight.
This is officially the George W. S. Abbey Rocket Park
After deboarding the tram, I could not miss the massive rockets on display outside the main entrance 
This is one of the rocket engines and its exhaust nozzle.
5 such engines were attached to the Saturn rocket hence the name Saturn 5.
The Saturn 5 rocket took humans to the Moon.
They always made multiples of these as backup one which is on permanent display at the Space Center in Houston.
A single frame of photo cannot capture the entire rocket, its huge…
Here’s the view from the top end and it is beyond imagination that this whole thing lifted off from ground, later jettisoned its parts in stages before ultimately landing the capsule on the moon.
I boarded the tram once again which took us to the next amazement - the Space Shuttle Independence.
This is mounted atop a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
I found is amusing to see that they have allowed people to sit and enjoy food under the wings of the Boeing 747.
This is officially the NASA Johnson Space Center
It was a very warm day in last week of June 2023 in Houston, so they had installed giant fans to bring relief to the visitors.
There were both a staircase and an elevator to reach inside the Boeing 747.
The elevator and also the various sections of the museum are accessible via ramps.
The washrooms that are located under the tail wing of the 747 too are accessible via a ramp.
The last part of the tram tour dropped us back to the main hall of the Houston Space Center.
Tickets & Admission
The ticket for the Space Center in Houston is $30 for adults and $25 for children of age group 4-11 years.
This also includes access to Space Shuttle Independence.
Where to Stay
I stayed in the Microtel Inn and Suites that was across the street on the NASA Parkway in Houston.
Where to Eat
Several food joints like Starbucks, Dominos, Burger King and MacDonald’s are located across the street opposite the Space Center.