NASA Gift Shop in Silicon Valley facts for kids

NASA Ames Exploration Center

The NASA Ames Visitor Center is a cool place to visit at the entrance of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. It's like a museum where you can learn all about space exploration and the amazing work done by NASA scientists. You can see real spacecraft, watch exciting movies, and explore models of planets!

Explore Amazing Exhibits!

The center has many exciting things for you to discover:

See a Real Space Capsule

• The Mercury-Redstone 1A capsule is a real spacecraft that flew into space in 1960. It went really high, reaching an altitude of 130.7 miles! This was an important step in sending humans to space.

Experience the Immersive Theater

• Step into a special theater with a huge screen, 14 feet tall and 36 feet wide. It makes you feel like you're really there! You can watch movies about NASA's missions to Mars and other planets. You'll also learn about the smart scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center and their discoveries.

Discover the SOFIA Aircraft Model

• Check out a model of the SOFIA aircraft. This special airplane is like a flying telescope! It's designed to observe space using infrared astronomy. It flies high in the stratosphere to get a clearer view of distant stars and galaxies.

Touch a Giant Mars Globe

• You can also see a large globe of the planet Mars. It shows you what the Red Planet looks like up close.

Plan Your Visit

Before you leave, you can stop by the gift shop. It sells cool space and NASA-related souvenirs. The center is open Monday to Friday, from 10 AM to 6 PM. On weekends, it's open from 10 AM to 5 PM. Remember, it's closed on Federal Holidays.

Images for kids

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  The Mercury-Redstone 1A capsule

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  Immersive theater

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  SOFIA aircraft model