
If you only have time for one museum while you are in Houston, might I suggest the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center?

My rationale is that this is one of very few places in the world where you can get a glimpse into NASA's manned spacecraft center, the astronaut corps hub and site of the International Space Station Mission operations. The Space Center was also designated a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2014.

Have you heard the famous line, "Houston, we have a problem," from the movie Apollo 13, or the more accurate quote, "Houston, we've had a problem."?

Those were the words uttered by the astronauts on Apollo 13 to communicate to Mission Control at the Houston Space Center that an explosion had occurred mid-flight, en route to the Moon.

Not only is the Houston Space Center the hub of mission operations, the 1,700-acre site displays myriad space artifacts.

It also allows you to see flown spacecrafts, including the Mercury 9, Gemini 5 and Apollo 17, up close.
Flight Simulation
You can sit in a spacecraft simulator as well and get a small taste of what astronauts experience during lift off.
Artemis Exhibit

The Artemis exhibit was one I particularly enjoyed while visiting the Space Center. It features NASA's Artemis program which will return humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo program, 50 years ago.

Apollo 17 Command Module
Above is a picture of the Apollo 17 spacecraft, the last manned spacecraft to travel to the Moon and the last mission of Project Apollo. Commander Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon, stated the following in bidding farewell, "... we leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind."

Hopefully, we shall do just that under the Artemis program, which will occur in stages. The first mission was completed in November of 2022 with the launch of Artemis I. Artemis I traveled to the Moon and demonstrated the success of the aircraft over a period of 25 days. Artemis II will carry a crew to orbit the Moon and Artemis III will take a crew to land on the Moon.

Lunar Samples Vault
To get a sense of what that landing will be like, visit the Lunar Samples Vault at the Space Center. There you will find the world's largest collection of moon rocks, collected from the previous Moon landing.

Lunar Rock
The exhibit even features this, one of only eight moon rocks in the world, that you can touch.
Mission Mars

Another compelling exhibit at the Space Center is Mission Mars.

Among other things, the exhibit offers information about Mars, how it compares with Earth, and information on NASA's 6-month, 50 million dollar journey to the Red Planet.

View of Houston from my Plane Window
Though not as exciting as reaching the Moon or Mars and looking back at Earth, I was able to get a bird's eye view of Houston from the sky on my departing flight and it was lovely.
That concludes my five-part series on Houston. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and hope to return for more food and fun. I'm not sure what's up next, but I hope you'll stay tuned to find out.
Well written! Yes, we’ve explored this awesome facility. You are spot on why it’s important and how impressive these capsules are!!!
Great job!