This is a special year for space fans, with the shuttle programme winding down its 30-year run of exploration.
The shuttles will soon be decommissioned and retired for public display at United States' museums. Nasa's Johnson Space Center, just outside Houston, is very likely to be one of the final resting
places of a shuttle.
If you're visiting Texas, set aside a day to immerse yourself in the galactic thrills of the Space Centre. The showpiece is the Nasa tram tour, which whisks you around the sprawling centre with Disney-like precision.
Attractions include a close encounter with a Saturn 5 rocket, the astronaut training compound (complete with replica space shuttle), and the historic mission-control centre, which starred in the award-winning movie Apollo13.
Tom Hanks had the honour of delivering one of the world's most legendary lines: "Houston - we have a problem". Nasa's ingenious ability to save the all-but-doomed Apollo 13 flight crew is one of the world's greatest rescues, and the triumphant salvage operation was masterfully co-ordinated from the Johnson Space Center. The mission-control room you see today has been preserved as it was in the early 1970s, as a monument to Nasa's rescue effort.
In addition to the big thrills, the Space Center is loaded with hands-on interactive exhibits, tailored for children and wanna-be astronauts.
It's quite a blast.
