This post’s featured image caption: Space Shuttle at Johnson Space Center, Photo courtesy of Space Center Houston
“Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
“Houston, we have a problem.”
Famous words uttered from outer space with one thing in common. Houston.
Maybe it’s clear why Houston carries the nickname of “Space City.” Or maybe not.
On September 12, 1962, then-president John F. Kennedy delivered his monumental speech announcing the country’s plan to send a man to the moon. The speech took place at Houston’s Rice University and gave NASA’s Apollo program a clear mission, and a need to expand!
Not far from the stadium where Kennedy stood, the Humble Oil and Gas company donated approximately 1,000 acres of land to the University. This land would soon be the new home of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC).
While space vehicles are launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, all manned spaceflight for the United States are coordinated and monitored from the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center in Houston. Which is why most communication from astronauts begin with the word “Houston…”
Houston is also home to the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL). The NBL is a 6.2 million gallon swimming pool (essentially) filled with mock-ups of the International Space Station (ISS) and other space vehicles. This is the place where astronauts from around the world come to practice for upcoming spacewalks. This is the closest way to experience the weightlessness they’ll be working in while at the ISS.
If you’ve ever wondered where the astronauts go after they land back on earth, the answer is… you guessed it, Houston. They’ll spend some time reacclimating to the effects of gravity from special housing on the JSC campus.
While you’re here for WordCamp Houston, you’ll inevitably pass by one of the many gates to Johnson Space Center. Above each gate flies six flags representing the nations of the current astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
You can’t go in those gates, but you can visit Space Center Houston next door for all things NASA. Rocket park houses a full-size Saturn V rocket, there are tram tours of special buildings on the JSC property (including mission control), and you can explore inside a Space Shuttle replica. Coming soon, one of the first reusable rockets, a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster will be on exhibit as well.
Houston has fully embraced it’s Space City moniker. After all, we are also home to the Astros major league baseball team, Rockets professional basketball team and an astronaut themed McDonald’s (look for it on your left as you’re driving in).
All kidding aside, Houston is very proud of our space-related heritage, and it’s one reason why you’ll see lots of space-related elements at WordCamp — from our website to our Wapuunaut to our venue and session space. We hope you enjoy the view!
To infinity and beyond!
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