It’s not like my grandfather was a rocket scientist, but he knew a few of those and a whole lot of other people smarter than me. He was an engineer at NASA in Virginia, working on the Apollo missions when we were first sending humans into space. The memories of him and watching the moon landing on a small TV as a kid all came flooding back when I visited the Houston Space Center set up by Lyndon Johnson as a ground control center back in the early 1960s.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, grew out of Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, in a region that had plenty of experience with big expensive projects like airplanes, helicopters, and warships. My grandfather first worked with airplanes, then as NASA grew, he got hired on there, along with lots of other middle-aged white guys and a lot of smart black women who functioned as human computers: see the movie Hidden Figures.
This facility became the Langley Research Center and it’s where much of the science happened that enabled us to get humans into space and then to the moon in the Apollo missions.
Politicians do a lot of horse-trading behind the scenes to get the votes they need though, so instead of NASA being in one place, over time it split into four mini-HQs. They’ve had people in Virginia, Florida (where the recent Fly Me to the Moon movie takes place), Huntsville, and Houston. That last one is probably the best known because of the chatter back and forth between astronauts and ground control, like Houston, we have a problem.” See the movie Apollo 13 for that story…
The buildings started going up in 1961 when it was established as the Manned Spacecraft Center, then the Johnson Space Center. The center’s initial focus was on Project Mercury, America’s first human spaceflight program. Then as the Space Race heated up and we rushed to become the first nation to land on the moon, the Johnson Space Center became the control hub for the Gemini and Apollo missions.
Giant Rockets at the Houston Space Center
When my group arrived at the Houston Space Center, which is really in a suburban area called the Bay Area Houston, we hopped on a NASA Tram Tour and headed to the grandest and most awe-inspiring display with our guide. That would be a giant warehouse holding three stages of a Saturn V rocket, the kind that took man to the moon.
Of course you know it’s big if you’ve seen the blast-offs on TV and in movies, but the thing really does make you feel tiny. It’s also hard to believe that something this big and heavy can even get off the ground and it’s hard to imagine what kind of reception the engineers got when they proposed a three-stage rocket with pieces that would fall into the ocean.
And then when they proposed a landing module that had to flip itself over, land on the moon, take off again, then reattach to the rocket that would return to Earth. I wanted to spend some time studying all this because my grandfather was on the team that designed the heat shield on the re-entry capsule. This is the layer that would keep the astronauts from burning up when they came plummeting down through the atmosphere.
Besides signs explaining how all the elements of the rocket worked, displays on the walls highlight each of the astronaut teams that went into space on each mission. I found it interesting that some of the astronauts were on more than one moon mission. Jim Lovell is one of only three men to travel to our moon twice but luck was not with him: he circled it on the Gemini mission and then was on the ill-fated Apollo 13, which had to return without landing. So he never got to walk on it.
Visiting the Mission Control Center
One of the most fascinating parts of the space center premium tour is the chance to visit the Houston Mission Control Center, the exact same room you’ve seen on historic recordings and the one they’ve tried to recreate exactly in movies. After Mission Control moved to another area, this unused one fell into disrepair, but in 2019, a crowdfunding campaign got it restored to look exactly like it did in the 1960s, complete with ashtrays full of cigarette butts and rotary phones. Monitors look just like what the control center people were seeing in 1969.
There’s actually a reenactment of the Apollo 11 moon landing, complete with footage on the screen and all the chatter that was happening between the astronauts and the workers on the ground, as well as those workers talking to each other about system checks and the various levels they were monitoring. I was just a kid when all that happened, watching on TV at a neighbor’s house with my parents, but it brought back memories and gave me goosebumps.
After that we walked through the largest building overall at the Houston Space Center, the area where astronauts train and machinery they use is tested. You go along a walkway and see it all from above, a hive of activity where there are a lot of projects going on at once. If you’re willing to pay enough (or you are a senator or president perhaps), you can get closer to the action.
Here’s a fun fact I learned on my tour: there are bikes in racks all over the grounds here, donated by Schwinn in the 1960s, for employees to get from one building to another quickly. There’s one full-time employee that keeps them all in working order still. They’re heavier than today’s bikes, but much sturdier too.
Another fun fact: all the buildings here are designed to be able to withstand a category 5 hurricane. Here near the Gulf Coast of Texas, they have already faced a few tests of that.
The Main Hall at the NASA Space Center in Texas
In the main visitor building of the NASA Space Center there are several sections highlighting different periods in the center’s history. There are sections about the moon missions, of course, with actual spacesuits on display and the lunar module that astronauts drove on the surface.
You can also see how small the actual capsules were that the early astronauts spent days in, the reason they couldn’t be big and stocky guys who were more than six feet tall.
Have you ever wanted to touch a rock that’s billions of years old? You can do that here, among the displays of moon rocks brought back from the lunar surface. The one you touch came back on the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 and sits next to others taken from different canyons around the moon on missions 14, 15, and 16.
One section is devoted to Skylab, that solar-powered first space station where astronauts could actually stretch their legs and go do space walks. Outside you can visit the Space Shuttle Independence mounted on a Boeing 747. You can go inside if you have the time and the tight quarters might make you think twice next time you complain about airplane cabin seating on a two-hour flight.
There’s a model of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which marked the first international space mission with the Soviet Union. You can take a walk through it and along the way you encounter some very life-like mannequins demonstrating the weightlessness the inhabitants experience.
The Astronaut Gallery showcases personal items from space pioneers. Plus live shows and presentations throughout the day keep you engaged. You might catch a robotics demonstration or a talk by a real NASA astronaut. When I was there a discussion was going on by someone who plans the food, drink, and other um, digestion issues on the international space station.
They’re looking into the future too though. While the astronaut displays in the rocket area are all white guys until you get to the Space Shuttle missions, the Artemis display in the main hall shows that we’re getting a little astronaut diversity next time around, when we’ll be landing “the first woman and the first person of color” on the moon. There’s a sizable section about this Artemis project, with the big goal of returning humans to the moon in 2026 and eventually setting up a permanent base there.
The astronauts that will be making the trip are already picked out and training. This one will be unique because it’s not just NASA doing it on its own: there’s a public/private partnership aspect that will hopefully make this a first step in the natural progression. Next stop, Mars!
Visiting the Houston Space Center
If you go, Space Center Houston is located in Clear Lake, about 25 miles southeast of downtown Houston and 30 miles northwest of Galveston. You’ll find it easily accessible from Interstate 45.
Regular admission to the NASA Houston Space Center is $35 for adults, including the tram tour, and $30 for children 4 to 11 (under 4 free). Seniors only get $1 off. Don’t spend it all in oe place. The Mission Control Center tour costs an additional $15 and the VIP Tour is $200 and breakfast with an astronaut is $100.
If you’re planning to spend a few days doing tourist things in Houston, you’ll be better off buying a Houston CityPass since that’s $76 for 5 attractions, including this one. (If you’ll be in the museum district, check out Sheila’s recommendation of Smither Park and Lucille’s restaurant.)
Naturally you can find plenty of fun gift ideas and NASA logo clothing at the two big gift shops. There’s quite a selection. I bought my mom some oven mitts that look like astronaut gloves. See more at the official website here, including opening hours.
A Few Spots to Eat and Drink Nearby
After you finish learning about astronauts, rockets, and spacesuits, it’ll probably be time to go eat or hit a happy hour. There’s no shortage of choices in the Bay Area Houston towns. You’ll find a lot of listings at their tourism site, but here are some places my group went when I was in the area that I would recommend:
Brick & Spoon, Texas City – Come here to indulge, not to diet. I was there for brunch and we all got decadent items like loaded French Toast, Eggs Benedict, Bananas Foster Biegnets, and Shrimp and Grits. You could work some of it off if you come for dinner though as it’s right next to a huge country music line dancing place. See more at their website.
La Brisa and The Yard, League City – The sprawling restaurant with a huge bar looks like it cold seat 500 people when you count the big Astroturf area outside with swings and lounge chairs. It’s probably packed on big football game days but the food and the cocktails were both true-to-form Tex-Mex. Kudos for having bargain margaritas for $5 to $7 during happy hour. See details here.
Galveston Bay Brewing Company, Clear Lake Shores – I’ll cover the beer aspect of this place in a later article, but if you want to drink the best brews in the area and get something to eat as well, head here from the space center. Order Bottlecaps (battered and fried jalapeno peppers), shrimp dishes, salmon, or German sausages. See the menu here.
Merlion, Seabrook – Perhaps the fanciest Thai restaurant I’ve eaten in outside of Bangkok, this elegant restaurant is known as a good spot for a special occasion. You can find popular standards like Tum Yum soup, satay, and dumplings, or special dishes like soft shell crab curry. They also have an excellent craft cocktail selection and divine desserts. See more info.
Find more dining options at the regional tourism site.
One Last Note on my NASA Grandfather
My grandfather Clyde Thiele has been gone for quite a while, but he was my prime role model when I was young, a wise and sensible man who was great at building and fixing things. He managed to raise five daughters on his salary and put money away to invest and buy land. As kids we spent a lot of time at his house in Hampton, Virginia where my mother grew up.
Once I said I wanted to go play basketball at the nearby YMCA but I wasn’t a member and I asked him what I needed to do. “Walk in like you belong there,” he replied. “Go right past the desk and into the gym.” It worked and I played pick-up games every day for a week.
My favorite story though is how he got his first machine shop job at an aviation company. He found out the boss was conducting interviews but instead of joining the crowd of men applying, he waited until those interviews were all done and then waltzed into the office and introduced himself, knowing the person making the hiring decision wouldn’t be in as much of a hurry if there was only one person left to talk to.
At the end of their interview, when it seemed like my grandad had made a good impression with his machinist experience and knowledge, the boss said, “We’ll be in touch next week to let you know what we decide.”
Next week came and went and there was no word. So on Monday my grandad drove to the facility, took his toolbox out of the trunk, and walked inside. “I’m supposed to be starting work today,” he told the men inside. “Where should I set up?”
“I think you’re probably working at that empty table with Dave,” someone told him, and he went to work, Dave showing him the ropes. At the end of the week, he asked the HR person if he was supposed to fill out any paperwork because he hadn’t done that yet. “Yes of course,” the person said, and gave him the forms. He returned them with the date he had started filled in and later that month he started collecting a regular paycheck.
He never got called out on it, probably because he was doing a good job, and after two months, he asked for a raise. He got it and ended up working there for years before getting hired on at the agency that eventually became NASA. They probably saw that he was a guy who could make things happen.
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