KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – It’s a new attraction at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Enter Gateway: Deep Space Launch Complex.
It’s like a warehouse full of current and futuristic space vehicles and technology, with interactive games and objectives to demonstrate how it all works. like the RL10 engine currently used on some rockets.
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“Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that flows through the engine, the hydrogen flows through the chamber and keeps everything cold. You mix the liquid oxygen with the hydrogen in the combustion chamber and you spark the igniter,” said Daimon Clarett, Aerojet Rocketdyne engineer for the RL10 engine.
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The Orion Space Craft module has been updated to withstand 1,000-day missions to space well beyond the International Space Station.
“Physics hasn’t changed since the 1970s, but what’s inside the spacecraft though, is significantly updated technology. It can hold more people. It’s going to have touchscreens and it’s going to have a toilet inside. Everything conducive to longer missions in the future,” said Lockheed Martin Artemis III Orion Production Planner Barry Bohnsack.
You’ll get a look into the future with a model Sierra Space Dream Chaser hanging from the ceiling.
“It is the first commercial space plane that will launch and come back to the Kennedy Space Center since the shuttle landed in 2011. This will be an opportunity for us to demonstrate our capability to carry cargo to the International Space Station,” said astronaut and Sierra Space President Janet Kavandi.
Kavandi said the company has been creating inflatable habitats that can be launched into space and used for living, working and space farming.
“I do think living in low-Earth orbit will become a common thing. People will say ‘I’m going to work, I’ll be in space for a few months and I’ll see you at home,’” said Kavandi.
Gateway also features Spaceport KSC.
“What would it be like if space tourism were right around the corner? We wanted to simulate that,” said Therrin Protze, CEO of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
You can choose one of four immersive space journeys, make your way through the spaceport and even look out the window to get a glimpse of the future of a commercial spaceflight complex.
It sounds and looks just like airports today. You’ll enter your own spacecraft, resembling a plane with details down to the baggage compartments and seat belts. Then you’ll launch into space discovering distant worlds with a unique 4D ride experience.
Gateway at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will be open to the public June 15. Click HERE to learn more about KSC Visitor Complex and to purchase tickets.