posted 01-12-2010 08:18 AM               

Relocating the Astronaut Hall of Fame Museum and updating it with more interactive exhibits are just two of the changes NASA said it wanted to see in its request for proposals to run the complex, which brings in about 1.5 million tourists a year.

Delaware North Companies, which has managed the complex for the last 15 years, is bidding for a new contract to run the attraction, which tells the story of the U.S. space program using real artifacts such as an original moon rocket, twin IMAX theaters, a rocket garden and the Shuttle Launch Experience.

NASA is in the process of reviewing applications, and hopes to make a decision by March, a month before Delaware North's current contract expires. The space agency refused to identify the companies that applied or say how many were contending.

posted 01-12-2010 01:10 PM               

The following week I went back with the rest of the family (wife & daughter) and did the bits I hadn’t had time to do on the first day.

By visiting on two days I got to meet no less than four astronauts in the gift shop and get their autographs; John Blaha, Winston Scott, James Bagian & Alfred Worden. I was absolutely amazed that so many people in the shop were unaware who was sitting just a few feet away and remember trying to explain to a lovely lady how $10 for a photo that Alfred Worden would then sign for free was a good deal.

Queues and waiting times were short and my wife still comments that the lunch we had there was one of the best lunches we had during our vacation.

posted 01-12-2010 04:12 PM               

If it is relocated I suppose moving it nearer the visitor complex would be best. Perhaps on the complex grounds would be even better (west of the Rocket Garden maybe?). That would help alleviate patron congestion at peak times.

posted 01-12-2010 06:28 PM               

The current AHOF and old space camp dorm would be demolished to make room for a hotel with conference facilities.

posted 01-12-2010 10:43 PM            

My only beefs with Delaware North: there are about 20 ticket gates at the Visitor Center entrance, and on an average day only 4 or 5 are staffed, resulting in long lines. Waiting lines for the bus tours can be excessive as well.

I think it was a mistake to wall The Space Shop into the VC - making it extremely difficult for customers who have been through the tour to drop in and grab a gift or see what new books are in stock. When I was working at the Cape and just wanted to pick up something for the family on a Friday afternoon, it was not uncommon to wait in line 45 mins for a "Shopping Pass" leaving a $10 deposit, have a 20 min wait in the store due to too few cashiers working, then another half-hour wait in line going out to get my deposit back. Surprisingly, the 'airport-style' security check has never been a bottleneck - those folks are very courteous and efficient.

posted 01-19-2010 09:04 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Rob Joyner:
I wonder what would happen to the Bean mural in the lobby. Could it be removed unharmed and transported to the new site?

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The mural artists use a grid pattern on the wall and fill in each square with the appropriate section of the artwork. After this was complete, Al did come to the AHOF to put some touch-ups and highlights on the mural so that it more closely matched his original.

I believe the same process was used for the Bean mural at Space Center Houston.

So in the near term, I think this project could be reproduced at the new location, rather than trying to disassemble the existing one and plastering it back together.

posted 02-12-2010 03:36 PM               

NASA Awards Concession Agreement for Kennedy Visitor Complex

NASA has selected Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Inc., of Buffalo, N.Y., to provide concession services for the operation of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

The new concession agreement begins May 1, 2010. It has a 10-year base period with one five-year option and five, one-year options.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has operated for more than 43 years as a commercially viable, self-sufficient concession activity. As such, no appropriated dollars are received for its development, operation or maintenance. All revenues are generated through the sale of admission, food, retail and education programs without cost to the federal budget.

Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts will be responsible for the management and operation of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The principle objective of concession activities is to provide access for visitors to NASA's Kennedy Space Center and to communicate the NASA mission and activities, past, present and future.

posted 02-13-2010 07:28 AM               

There are a lot of NASA retirees who work at the KSCVC. I commented to Daniel on how extraordinarily helpful the woman was who was manning the information booth on Sunday night before the second STS-130 launch attempt. He told me she was a Snoopy Award winner!

posted 08-27-2010 04:40 PM               

While in Florida this week I took my 12 year old over to Kennedy Space Center. We did the "Discover KSC: Today & Tomorrow Tour" and had a great guide. The bizarre thing was that the tour gave absolutely no mention of Ares or the cancelled programs, despite passing the reconfigured Pad 39B, the Ares launch tower or the fact that the on-bus video still features Cernan referring to "the Moon, Mars and Beyond". I wonder whether the absence of any reference is deliberate? Of the tower, all the guide would say is "oh, I'm sure they'll find some use for it."

I asked whether he felt tourism at KSC would decline after the shuttle program closes. Surprisingly the guide (granted, only one of many) said that they would lay on "new" tours at KSC and that he wasn't concerned about his job. I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if visitor numbers are sustained though I suspect many come mainly because it is a "live" manned spaceflight centre.

We then went to the Astronaut Hall of Fame where four or five of the main interactive displays were out of order or simply closed. Very disappointing and we were in and out in 30 minutes.

I always come away from KSC feeling like I have been to a place that doesn't know whether it is a theme park, a museum or a commercial enterprise. Maybe it's all three, but I'm saddened that I never feel inspired in the same way that a visit to the Smithsonian or Edwards inspires. Such a big part of history happened here, but it is recorded, related and preserved so poorly.