Now with it inside, hopefully its lifespan will be a lot longer, giving more guests the opportunity to appreciate its history," he said. "We had to a do a huge restoration effort for it just a couple of years ago because of how corrosive this area's environment is outside. The gantry was previously out in the elements and approved to be used by the guests many, many years ago," said Protze. "As a Smithsonian affiliate, we work with their guidelines as to what guests can touch or not. The 70-foot-long (21-meter) walkway though, was too long to display intact and so the remaining span was available for use in the Space Shop. In January 2017, part of the swing arm was incorporated into an exhibit honoring the lives of the fallen Apollo 1 astronauts in the visitor complex's Apollo/Saturn V Center. Guests could walk across the grounded metal gantry and look into the white room, the small, once-environmentally-controlled chamber that served as the interface between the launch umbilical tower (LUT-1) and the Apollo command module atop a Saturn V rocket. Swing arm 9, which five decades ago was mounted 320 feet (100 meters) above the launch pad's surface, was in recent years displayed outdoors in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's Rocket Garden. The iconic artifact is one of several new interactive additions to the 15,372-square-foot (1,428-square-meter) Space Shop, which now reopened, continues to offer NASA-logo apparel, mission patches, spacecraft models, freeze-dried space food and more. "This brings a piece of history to the gift shop." "I think it awesome to be able to go upstairs and actually walk across the actual Apollo 11 gantry," said Therrin Protze, the chief operating officer of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, in an interview with collectSPACE. The red grate swing arm now bridges the Space Shop's second floor, offering guests the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the first humans to step on the moon. To find items like these, go to or visit our store located at inside Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.- Forget the amusement park staple "exit through the gift shop" - the newly-renovated store at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex now has a historic exit off the planet.īilled as the "world's largest space shop," the souvenir store now features a part of the launch pad gantry that Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins walked across to begin the first moon landing mission nearly 50 years ago. When it’s too cold to go outside and play, stay in and build your very own LEGO Lunar Module! Build a space shuttle, a space station, and even more options available in the Space Shop. Treat yourself and your loved ones to some astronaut ice cream! No freezing necessary. It’s hard to resist ice cream, even when it’s cold outside. Take a spacewalk at the International Space Station from the perspective of an astronaut! Three applications allow you to visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, learn about our solar system, and walk on the ISS, all from the comfort of home. Put your space themed gifts in this backpack designed with the NASA “meatball” and mission patches from the Apollo missions. Help your young ones’ imaginations soar! They will feel ready to launch into space and walk on the Moon while wearing these flight suits, available in orange and white.įorget the gift bag and wrapping paper. These NASA “meatball” knit caps come in an assortment colors to keep your head warm and fashionable this winter. Remember your trip to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex every year when you hang one of these ornaments on your tree. There will be no groans from those receiving socks this year! That’s because the space shop’s selection of crew socks have cool designs and keep your feet warm.
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