Do you think you have what it takes to be a NASA astronaut living and working on Mars? The new Astronaut Training Experience, or ATX, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers an immersive test for those with spaceflight aspirations.
The full revamped experience opens to the public on Feb. 8 in Titusville, offering budding and veteran space lovers a chance to see how they would train for a mission to Mars.
Previously, ATX offered simulations for low-Earth orbit missions focused around the Space Shuttle, but with the end of the program in 2011 KSC Visitor Complex redesigned the attraction to focus on deep-space missions. The project has been in the works for the past few years.
The new ATX offers two new experiences for guests ages 10 and older.
The Mars Exploration Simulator Training gives guests the experience of navigating on the Martian surface. Using a full-motion simulator, trainees will practice landing on the red planet and then driving across the rocky surface to reach Mars Base 1.
Virtual reality technology will allow guests to explore Mars and complete tasks for Mars Base 1.
The Spacewalk Training Experience, which opened in December, gives guests the opportunity to learn how to work in a microgravity environment. Participants will conduct a simulated extravehicular activity, or EVA, to make a repair on the International Space Station.
KSC Visitor Complex Therrin Protze said the goal of the new improved ATX is to inspire the next generation of astronauts.
"This is the first time that we're offering the ability for guests to actually come into Kennedy Space Center and look at the entire ATX," Protze said. "And have the ability to experience simulators and activities that are truly like working and living in space, as well as training like an astronaut."
For reservation information, visit KennedySpaceCenter.com.