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| SUNRAYS AUGUST 2014
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
“We came all this way to explore the
moon, and the most important thing is
that we discovered the earth.” – William
Anders, Apollo 8
T
oday, there ismore computing power
in a new car than there was in all
of NASA’s 1969 Mission Control
room, when staff, whose average age was
about 26, guided Apollo 11 astronauts
to the moon and back to Earth. Experts
placed the odds of return from that mis-
sion at only 50 percent—a secret letter of
condolence to the families of the astronauts
was drafted for the President’s signature,
in case the worst should happen.
Today, at Space Center Houston, you can
sit in the Flight Director’s chair in the
historic Mission Control room; you can
hear hair-raising stories from those who
supported those missions; and you can
marvel at the commitment and creativ-
ity of the thousands of people who have
worked on and supported the U.S. space
program for all the years it has been in
operation. But experiencing these things
and more is not available through gen-
eral admission passes to NASA’s Johnson
Space Center.
The Tour of Level 9
Introducing the lesser known, special
“Level 9” tours—a five-hour tour on
a minivan, offered only once a day on
weekdays, for no more than 12 people.
The name refers to the occupants of the
ninth floor of the Administration Build-
ing, who were the only individuals who
had complete access to all aspects of the
space program. This VIP tour provides
the maximum possible public access to
simulators, developing technology, historic
and current Mission Control rooms, the
unused Apollo 18 Saturn launch rocket,
and the Neutral Buoyancy Lab—a giant
pool where astronauts can practice space
walk skills in a “weightless” environment.
Imagine sitting in the cockpit of the Space
Shuttle. What would you give to sit behind
the Flight Director in the “new” Mission
Control, and see what they see, as giant
monitors show the path and status of the
International Space Station, and live video
from it as it flies over the earth?
The Level 9 tour begins with an included
lunch in the cafeteria where astronauts
eat while they’re in training at the site.
Worried about the five-hour timeframe?
It’s gone in the blink of an eye. Visitors on
the Level 9 tour will also see “robonauts”
that are under development, aMars rover
that looks like something from a Star
Wars movie, and the new Orion vehicle
that may someday take people to Mars.
The Johnson Space Center
The Johnson Space Center encompass-
es 135 buildings and 13,000 employees
in a setting south of Houston that is
The
Level 9 Tour
An Out-of-this-World Experience
By Sandy Nielsen
PHOTOS BY sandy nielsen
Editor’s Note:
This is part of a series of articles highlighting nearby locations that would make for a fun day trip. With sum-
mer upon us, resident writer Sandy Nielsen will take us to sites worth visiting within a day’s drive from Sun City Texas. Have
a happy summer and safe travels—wherever you go!
