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Fly With An Astronaut

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

April 11 - 13, 2025
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The Fly With an Astronaut Experience

Join a veteran NASA astronaut on their journey in what it took for them to become an astronaut and let them be your guide behind the gates of Kennedy Space Center.

A catered lunch will be provided back at the main visitor complex where your astronaut guide will reflect on their personal accounts and experiences followed by a question and answer session with the group. You will also receive a special pin before moving on to the next part of your experience.

Next, you will enter Space Shuttle Atlantis® for a guided tour and a private viewing of the pre-shows The Flight and Coming Home. Then, board the Shuttle Launch Experience® to feel what it’s like to launch into space on a shuttle traveling 17,500 mph, accompanied by a veteran NASA astronaut!

At the end of the tour, approximately 2:15 PM, continue on to a waiting bus to tour the Apollo/Saturn V Center on your own.

To learn more about this exciting experience, please click here.

Your Astronaut Guide

Headshot of astronaut Bill McArthur in space suit holding his helmet in front of U.S. flag

William “Bill” Sules McArthur

William “Bill” McArthur, a seasoned U.S. Army aviator and NASA astronaut with over 9,000 flight hours and four spaceflights, made significant contributions to the space program as a commander aboard the International Space Station and in various leadership roles within NASA.

McArthur, a retired U.S. Army aviator, joined NASA in 1987 as a space shuttle vehicle integration test engineer before being selected as an astronaut in 1990.

Throughout his space career, McArthur completed four spaceflights, logging 224 days, 22 hours, and 28 minutes in space. He performed 24 hours of spacewalk time during missions, including STS-58 Columbia, which expanded understanding of human physiology, and STS-74 Atlantis, which saw NASA’s second docking with the Russian Space Station Mir. McArthur also played a pivotal role on STS-92 Discovery, contributing to the International Space Station’s (ISS) assembly with four spacewalks.

As commander of Expedition 12 aboard the ISS in 2005, McArthur made history by becoming part of the first crew to dock with every Russian port on the station. His crew also completed two spacewalks and relocated their Soyuz spacecraft. In his post-flight career, McArthur managed safety and mission assurance at the Johnson Space Center.

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Fly With An Astronaut includes a one-day admission ticket in the pricing. There is no need to purchase a separate admission ticket.