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NASA Gift Shop in Silicon Valley facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
NASA Ames Visitor Center
NASA Ames Exploration Center

The NASA Ames Visitor Center is a super cool place where you can learn all about space and NASA's amazing discoveries! It's located right at the entrance of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. This center is designed to show you some incredible things that NASA scientists and engineers work on every day.

What You Can Explore

When you visit, you'll find several exciting exhibits that bring space exploration to life.

Historic Space Capsule

  • You can see the actual Mercury-Redstone 1A capsule. This capsule was launched way back in 1960! It flew high into space, reaching an altitude of 130.7 miles (about 210 kilometers). Imagine being inside that small capsule, soaring above Earth!

Immersive Space Theater

  • Get ready for an amazing experience in the high-resolution immersive theater. It has a giant screen that's 14 feet tall and 36 feet wide! Sometimes, this theater shows incredible movies with real footage from NASA's missions to Mars and other planets. You can also learn about the important work done by the scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center.

SOFIA Aircraft Model

  • Check out a model of the SOFIA aircraft. This special airplane was designed to observe the universe using infrared astronomy. It flew high up in the stratosphere (a part of Earth's atmosphere) to get a clearer view of space, away from most of Earth's atmospheric interference.

Giant Mars Globe

  • You can also see a really big globe of the planet Mars. This helps you get a better idea of what our neighboring planet looks like and its different features.

Planning Your Visit

The visitor center also has a gift shop where you can find cool space and NASA-themed souvenirs. It's a great place to pick up something to remember your visit!

Visitor Center Hours

  • The center is open from Monday to Friday, from 10 AM to 6 PM.
  • On weekends, it's open from 10 AM to 5 PM.
  • Remember, the center is closed on Federal Holidays, so it's a good idea to check before you go!

Gallery

  • Mercury Spacecraft at NASA Ames

    The Mercury-Redstone 1A capsule, a real piece of space history.

  • NASA Ames Visitor Center Immersive Theater

    The immersive theater, where you can watch amazing space films.

  • NASA Ames Visitor Center SOFIA telescope illustration

    A model of the SOFIA aircraft, used for studying space.

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