Home » Home » Tour Kennedy Space Center With Astronaut John Blaha As Your Guide Set For Sept. 15

Tour Kennedy Space Center With Astronaut John Blaha As Your Guide Set For Sept. 15

By  //  August 28, 2017

FLY WITH AN ASTRONAUT

ABOVE VIDEO: Join the Journey at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (Kennedy Space Center) – Explore Kennedy Space Center as part of a small group with your astronaut guide. Discover the birthplace of America’s space program with an experienced space explorer by your side as you tour Space Shuttle Atlantis® and blast off on Shuttle Launch Experience®, along with touring the iconic sites of Kennedy Space Center by motor coach.

Savor a catered lunch at the LC-39 Observation Gantry in the heart of historic Launch Complex 39, where the Apollo astronauts launched to the moon!

  • $199 for adults; $174 for children ages 3-11, includes daily admission.
  • Annual passholders pay only $149 for adults and $134 for children. Annual passholder Fly With An Astronaut tickets are only available by calling 855-456-6597.
  • Tour is scheduled 9:15 am to 1:30 pm.
  • Space is limited to 43 participants.
  • This tour may not be suitable for young children due to the length of the tour and minors must be accompanied by a participating, paying adult over the age of 18.
  • Reserve Tour
  • Learn More

Must be a minimum of 44″/111.76 cm to ride the Shuttle Launch Experience. Astronaut(s), times, dates and tour/dining locations are subject to change. Fly With An Astronaut includes daily admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. 

ASTRONAUT BIO – JOHN BLAHA

In 1997, Blaha retired from NASA and returned to San Antonio, Texas. In 2008, John Blaha was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. (KSC Image)

John Blaha has flown on a remarkable number of space flights (five to be exact) since he was selected to be an astronaut in 1980. Some highlights include Commanding 2 missions, Commanding the most successful Spacelab flight, and a four month-long stay at the Russian space station Mir.

Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Blaha attended the United States Air Force Academy and Purdue University where he earned a bachelor’s in engineering science and a master’s in astronautical engineering, respectively.

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Blaha’s time in the Air Force is where he really made a name for himself. After receiving his pilot wings in 1967, he flew 361 combat missions in Vietnam. He then went to the United Kingdom and served as a test pilot with the Royal Air Force. Upon return to America, he worked for the Assistant Chief of Staff at the Pentagon and presented F-15 and F-16 studies to congressional staffs and senior Air Force leadership.

NASA was his next destination. Blaha was the chairman, NASA Space Flight Safety Panel and a member of the NASA Space Shuttle Improvement Panel. His first flight was in 1989, nine years after he joined the Astronaut Corps. He has completed five space missions for a total of 161 days in space. In his down-to-Earth time, he led NASA’s contingency abort development in case of shuttle main engine failures during the launch phase. These procedures greatly increased the chance of survival for astronauts onboard.

In 1997, Blaha retired from NASA and returned to San Antonio, Texas. In 2008, John Blaha was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

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