Take your students to a Nasa space centre

Kennedy Space Centre in Florida is the beating heart of the American space programme and to go there is to be inspired, awed and humbled at the scope of the achievements (and sacrifices) made here in the name of exploration and science.

The International Space School Education Trust (ISSET) offers exciting student programmes at Kennedy Space Centre. The experience is open to pupils of all ages who wish to explore the world’s biggest and most prestigious science and engineering programme.

The KSC experience includes hands-on activities such as the Astronaut Training Experience, tours and input from astronauts and space scientists. Pupils' interest and imagination are stimulated by the prospect of humans exploring the final frontier, leading edge technology involving spectacularly powerful rockets and the superb role models of astronauts.

A brief history of Kennedy Space Centre

Kennedy Space Center is a place where historical achievement, cutting edge technological advancement and wildlife meet to send humans on inspirational journeys into space.

Cape Canaveral is the site of the USA’s first launches into space during the 1960’s. It is the home of the first launch pads and space control systems. It was from Cape Canaveral that NASA not only first ventured into space, but also went on to master space walking, space rendezvous and docking of space craft.

Kennedy Space Center was developed to take humans on journeys to the moon. It is now the launch and landing centre for the incredible space shuttle and the launch site for the components of the International Space Station.
The Space Center lies within a 140,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge that is the home of over 500 species of wildlife including alligators, manatees, turtles, wild pigs, eagles and armadillos. The wildlife refuge consists of a range of habitats: marshes, estuaries, scrub, woodland, lagoons and beaches.

You can go to Johnson Space Centre, Houston too!

Whereas Kennedy Space Center is the technological focus of NASA, with hardware and launch pads, Johnson Space Center is the head of the endeavour, with administration, control, training, research and development.

Built for the moon missions, the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) was opened in 1963, only two years after the site was decided. Designed as the operations center for manned space missions and later renamed the Lyden B. Johnson Space Center (JSC), the control center manages all activity on board the spacecraft and directs all space shuttle missions.

Beginning with the Gemini missions, the Mission Control Center (MCC) has been stationed at JSC, managing the space craft, space walks, landing operations and astronaut monitoring. With the advent of the International Space Staion, JSC now contains three MCCs, one for the ISS, one for the shuttle, and one for classified shuttle missions.

The Sonny Carter Training Facility is the key to JSC’s training programme for astroanauts, including the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (where astronauts are made ‘neutrally buoyant’ to simulate microgravity conditions, to practice their mission tasks), and the Astronaut Training Facility (where physical training, teaching, hypobaric testing, G-force experience and psychological testing take place).

Surrounding JSC are a wide range of facilities for project development, construction, research, training and education, including the Ellington Airfield, where astronauts train and maintain their flying skills in T-38 jets.

Johnson Space Center is a fascinating part of NASA’s mission, showing a different side to space exploration than Kennedy. Thanks to this difference, it is a wonderful educational experience, close to many exciting innovations, facilities and personnel who are enthusiastic about space and science and love to teach.

Go to ISSET to find out more

Bring an astronaut into your school

Find out how ISSET can help arrange for a Space Shuttle crew to visit your school!

This July, the crew of STS-119, the latest shuttle mission to the International Space Station, will visit the UK, to speak to children about science, education and their passion for space, and to promote the goal of human space flight to the UK.

Find out more here