The journey begins as visitors enter the Shuttle Launch Simulation Facility, architecturally inspired by space shuttle facilities at Kennedy Space Center. As visitors ascend along the gantry, astronaut testimonials set the stage for what is to come. Entering the heart of shuttle operations for the pre-launch briefing, crew members are guided by veteran Shuttle Commander Charlie Bolden as he takes them step-by-step through the launch sequence. They then enter the crew pod in the shuttle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cargo bay and strap in for launch. For the next five minutes, the pod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 44 passengers see, feel and live the trip to 17,500 mph. As the shuttle bay doors open, what follows is a breathtaking view of Earth seldom seen in the first person.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kennedy Space Center is getting closer to opening their new Shuttle Launch Experience ride. It looks to be a good addition to the Space Center. From the news article: The ride is housed in a 44,000-square-foot building, which visitors enter … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcZNLl-38","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=100","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":0},"title":"First woman astronaut releases updated Mars book","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"November 22, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The Mystery of Mars,\" written in part by the first woman astronaut, has been updated with information from the Mars rovers. First published in 1996, the book is targeted at a young audience. My hat is off to Sally Ride for her commendable push to interest kids in science! Written\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Science in Action"","block_context":{"text":"Science in Action","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":608,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=608","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":1},"title":"Bishops, Science Center, launch, fair, tools","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"June 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"==> U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on embryonic stem cell research during their semi-annual conference going on right now in Orlando. ORLANDO, Fla. --The nation's Roman Catholic bishops issued a document Friday warning against what they consider the moral dangers of embryonic stem cell research, saying it\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=608#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":233,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=233","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":2},"title":"Learning something new: meat-flavored water","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"June 27, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been a while since I've done a \"learning something new every day\" post. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share some meat-flavored water with you. Well, not with you, but rather with your dog. The day has now come for your dog to have a sports drink!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Analysis\/Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Analysis\/Commentary","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":262,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=262","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":3},"title":"Blogging about the “Ultimate Field Trip”","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"August 9, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Sally Ride Science will be following Barbara Morgan's adventures in space in a new blog. Should be fun reading! \u00c2\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "On the Web"","block_context":{"text":"On the Web","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":221,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=221","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":4},"title":"Atlantis launch","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"June 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Shuttle mission STS-117 is about one hour away from launch. 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