In celebration of the Kennedy Space Center’s 50th birthday, Google Maps has teamed up with NASA to give curious children, enthusiasts, and space lovers alike, a virtual trip down the launch pad of space exploration. Compiled of 6,000 panoramic views of the facilities, the Street View of the Kennedy Space Center is the largest special collection of Street View imagery to date.

Walk in the footsteps of many great astronauts as you tour the grounds of Kennedy Space Center. With the click of a button, you can tour famous NASA location such as:

• Space shuttle launch pad – Gaze down from the top of the enormous launch pad.
• Vehicle Assembly Building – Peer up at the towering ceiling of the Vehicle Assembly Building (taller than the Statue of Liberty)
• Launch Firing Room #4 – Get a close look at the nerve center for launch and orbiter processing.
• Get up close to one of the space shuttle’s main engines, which is powerful enough to generate 400,000 lbs of thrust.
• Get an up-close, immersive experience with two of the Space Shuttle Orbiters: the Atlantis and Endeavour.

Becoming an astronaut may not have the same gravitational pull on young Americans that it did 40 years ago, but it still remains a fascination among the young and old.

To get started on your virtual tour through the stomping grounds of American space history, head over to maps.google.com/nasa or visit the source link below for more information.

• SourceGoogle Blog