The Kennedy Space Center has been running a new tour in the past few months called "Up-Close" which allows visitors to go inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and see other parts of KSC that are not normally open to the public.
The tour runs about 3 hours and has 3 stops along the way. The tour begins at KSC where visitors board an air-conditioned bus to head deeper into the complex. The first stop is at a viewing area for many of the launch pads. The viewing area provides a good look at most of the non-shuttle launch pads. In fact, the MUOS rocket could clearly be seen on its pad. The area also has a lot of the local wildlife around.
As the bus drove around, a tour guide described the buildings and also provided a great deal of facts and history about NASA. Some of the landmarks that the bus went by included the gravel road the shuttle crawler used to transport shuttles to the pad.
The second stop is the VAB. The bus pulls right up to the huge 526 ft. building and visitors can get out and go inside while under the watchful eye of security guards. The tour is limited to one corner of the building, but it's enough to see the vastness of the main bay.
The tour included a surprise- a close look at the Atlantis orbiter in the VAB being prepped for display in a new exhibit that will open in 2013. It's not clear how long Atlantis will be in the VAB and there's no guaratee that future visitors on the tour will get to see it.
The final stop drops everyone off at the Saturn V center, which can also be reached via the regular KSC tour. The center includes a Saturn V rocket running the length of the building; shows about the Saturn and Apollo programs; the chance to see several artifacts used in space missions and a chance to touch a moon rock.
Is the tour worth its $25 price? Yes. The opportunity to see such a unique building and to go inside the massive VAB is an experience that can't be found anywhere else. And it's the only opportunity right now to get up close to a space shuttle, as all the other shuttles are still being prepared for display at their respective museums.
The Up-Close tour costs $25 and also requires regular admission. The tours can be booked online at the KSC website or by calling 866-737-5235. The tours are expected to be offered at least through the summer, but beyond that, it will depend on whether the VAB's space is needed for other projects or not.
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