Travelbiz meets NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez in Dublin.

Don Shearer meets NASA Astronaut Jose M. Hernandez.

What an amazing Trade evening with NASA astronaut, José M. Hernández and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex team of Philip Britton and Frank DaCosta, Global Sales Manager, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.  

Travel trade members and guests were treated to a fantastic evening in Dublin’s Ivy Restaurant to interact and engage with NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez along with Philip Britton and Frank DaCosta, Global Sales Manager, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The story of Jose’s life is now a movie on Amazon Prime titled A Million Miles away. The Movie follows the life of Jose who was born in Mexico. While working in the fields, he co-developed the first digital mammography imaging system. He then persevered to become a crew member on Space Shuttle mission STS-128.

The team also covered some really exciting developments at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex which are available to all retail and wholesale partners in Ireland including:

2024 Brings Thrilling New Adventures for Guests to Florida’s Space-Themed Attractio.

At Florida’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where the epic story of the US space programme comes to life, a host of new experiences have landed for 2024.

The new attractions look ahead to the future of space travel, and celebrate the heroes, and incredible achievements, of the past.

First Blue Origin Exhibit – New Shepard

Blue Origin’s first permanent, interactive exhibit opened at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on 8 December 2023. Guests enter a near-perfect replica of the New Shepard capsule, named after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to go to space, on a breathtaking journey beyond the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.

Developed in close collaboration with scientists, engineers and producers, the immersive virtual reality experience uses actual data and imagery to authentically mimic the voyage to space, and back home again. By leveraging cutting-edge VR technology, including high-resolution graphics and advanced hand and motion tracking, the capsule ensures a deeply immersive experience that’s also visually beautiful.

To allow those who can’t physically enter the capsule on their own to have the same launch experience, the capsule includes an accessible flight seat and VR headset external to the capsule.

Introducing Hyperdeck Mission Moon

Offering yet another out-of-this-universe experience, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex launched Hyperdeck Mission Moon in December 2023. This new, interactive, virtual reality experience transports four players at once on a Moon mission. The VR mission features unparalleled use of environmental effects and motion simulation to provide a highly stimulating level of thrill with zero motion sickness.

Guests are outfitted with VR headsets and will feel rumbling beneath their feet as their “spacecraft” departs and then lands on the Moon. Upon landing, participants are taken on a thrilling, fast-paced, journey across the lunar surface, complete with twists and turns, obstacles that must be destroyed using hand-held shooting devices, and minerals to collect.

Other features of the experience include heat, wind and custom floor-mounted controllers that provide realistic feedback effects like recoil and vibration. Hyperdeck is located in the IMAX building and is included with admission.

New Kennedy Entry Experience

In Q4 2023, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex officially unveiled the new Kennedy Entry Experience, an exciting enhancement to the entrance plaza that awes guests on arrival. The LED spectacular features a 3,000 sq.ft video display that tells the story of NASA: past, present, and future, with attention-grabbing technology, sponsored by SNA Displays, that makes images appear to leap off the screen.

The inspiring six-minute video, which replays throughout the day, sets the tone by featuring former President John F. Kennedy’s famous “We choose to go to the Moon” speech as well as iconic artifacts that guests will encounter during their visit, moments in history that changed space exploration forever, and glimpses into the future.

New movie at IMAX^® Theater – Deep Sky

Breathtaking space movies are shown daily in the IMAX^® Building at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. They bring space exploration to life with celebrity narrators, and are included with admission.

December 2023 saw the launch of Deep Sky, which brings the awe-inspiring images captured by NASA’s Webb Telescope to IMAX — a journey to the beginning of time and space, to never-before-seen cosmic landscapes, recently discovered exoplanets and planets around other stars. Sponsored by L3 Harris and narrated by acclaimed actress Michelle Williams, Deep Sky follows the global mission to build and launch the James Webb Space Telescope into orbit in an attempt to answer questions that have haunted mankind since the beginning of time.

For more information on Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, please visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com.

Just 45 minutes from Orlando, Florida, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is open daily at 9am. Single-day admission is $75 per adult/$65 per child plus tax, and the two-day ticket is $89 per adult/$79 per child.