One of Florida’s most popular destinations, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex tells the epic story of the U.S. space program – from the first day through the present. The 70-acre arena, a gateway to a working space center, takes visitors on a journey that’s both entertaining and educational, interactive and inspirational. Located just one hour from Orlando, Kennedy Space Center is a fascinating place where it seems anything is possible. Here you can meet a real life Astronaut, walk amongst giant rockets, tour actual rocket launch areas, be wowed by stunning IMAX films, touch a piece of Mars, or take a peek at a full size Space Shuttle replica. Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. with closing times varying by season. Admission is $50 + tax for adults and $40 + tax for children ages 3-11.

credit: Lee Cannon

The 22-story Falcon 9 lifted off from SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite on SpaceX’s first deep space mission. Falcon 9 is a family of launch vehicles designed and manufactured by SpaceX, headquartered in Hawthorne, California. The family consists of the Falcon 9 v1.0, Falcon 9 v1.1, and the Falcon 9-R. Both stages of this two-stage-to-orbit vehicle are powered by rocket engines that burn liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellants.

credit: Official SpaceX Photos

Today is a extremely sad moment in US history, the end of the Space Shuttle program. Space program ran for an impressive thirty years. The first shuttle, Columbia, blasted off in April 1981. This was followed by four more shuttles, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis. Today (21th July 2011), after decades of inspiring millions around the globe, space shuttle Atlantis made a final touchdown at Kennedy Space Center. Space shuttles will be replace by a new generation of vehicles to fly to the international space station.

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