NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: Astronaut Training Experience

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Astronaut Training Experience is a five-hour, hands-on programme in Orlando that puts participants through the same disciplines used to prepare astronauts for deep-space missions. The programme is structured around two components: the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) itself, and Mars Base 1, where participants carry out base operations, real science experiments, and engineering tasks as though stationed on the Martian surface. It is one of the more technically detailed visitor programmes among Orlando attractions, designed for those who want more than a passive tour of the space centre.

Over the five hours, participants rotate through a Lander/Rover Simulator, a Spacewalk Training module, and a Walk on Mars Virtual Reality session, each replicating a specific phase of mission preparation. The programme emphasises problem solving, communication, and collaboration, so groups work through challenges together rather than observing individually. Wheelchair access is not available for this programme. Tickets are available as ATX Plus, which includes full admission to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on the same day, covering its galleries, rocket garden, and shuttle exhibits. Parking is not included and must be arranged separately. The starting point is Space Commerce Way. This is a non-refundable booking with no cancellation option once confirmed.