Kennedy Space Center Updates (October 2014)

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has always something new to present to Guests, be it  a special event, a new exhibit, or a reserved area to enjoy the sights and sounds of a rocket launch (which is definitely not an everyday happening around the world). This morning we will share with you a list of five of the newest events or offerings that are available (or will be available) at the Visitor Complex. Some of them will soon come to an end!:

1. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and Groundspeak, Inc., the company that created Geocaching.com, are partnering to bring guests the Kennedy Space Center GeoTour.

The interactive experience allows guests to use the free Geocaching application and the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates throughout Central Florida. Ten different cache locations throughout Florida house a specific password. Cache locations can be found through www.Geocaching.com/adventures/geotours/kennedy-space-center. Users may download a passport from www.kennedyspacecenter.com/events/2014/october/geocache.aspx, then present their completed passport at Will-Call at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to receive their trackable item and special admission offers.

Geocachers can receive deals on admission, retail items, and a trackable item, depending on passport completion. The Geocaching app is free. Admission or an annual pass is required for entry to the Visitor Complex. The KSCVC GeoTour will continue through 2015.

2. Visitor Complex guests can experience the breathtaking sights and sounds of the launch of an Atlas V rocket as it lifts off on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Visitors may enjoy a front row seat to view the launch from the Apollo/Saturn V Center, the closest possible public viewing area, and from viewing areas at the Visitor Complex.

Launch viewing is included in daily admission and both viewing locations include live launch commentary. The rocket will blast off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the launch scheduled for 1:19 p.m. EST.

3. The Visitor Complex and Astronomy Magazine are partnering to host the Great Balls of Fire Contest, giving away a 9.6-pound authentic meteorite collectable and a space adventure trip for four to the Visitor Complex. The Great Balls of Fire Contest celebrates the new Great Balls of Fire interactive exhibit at the Visitor Complex, which allows guests to discover the risks that asteroids, comets and meteorites present planet Earth. 

The space adventure trip includes round-trip airfare to Florida, provided by Astronomy Magazine, a three-day/two-night stay at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cocoa Beach, provided by Marriott, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex admission tickets, Lunch With An Astronaut tickets, and a Kennedy Space Center Up-Close Tour. Enter the contest at www.Astronomy.com/KennedySweeps until midnight on Nov. 30. The Great Balls of Fire Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada (except Quebec) only.

4. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex guests can learn about the future of space exploration from the people working on NASA’s Orion capsule. Every Friday until the Exploration Fight Test 1 (EFT-1) in December, Lockheed Martin employees will take a break from working on the Orion capsule and bring first hand updates on Orion and the test launch at Exploration Space®: Explorers Wanted. Guests can get the inside scoop on NASA’s plans for a human presence on Mars and the spacecraft that can take us there: Orion and the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The Friday updates are included in daily admission.

5.     Veteran NASA astronauts will meet with visitors at Astronaut Encounter:

• Space Shuttle Astronaut John Blaha, Oct. 15
• Space Shuttle Astronaut Rick Searfoss, Oct. 16-22
• Space Shuttle Astronaut Bruce Melnick, Oct. 23-25
• Space Shuttle Astronaut Fred Gregory, Oct. 26-31

Feel free to visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com for more information about these great events.