Photograph of the pilot Michael Collins at Apollo 11 Command Module, practicing docking hatch removal from CM simulator at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, June 28, 1969. (Note: Image has been digitally colorized using a modern process.)
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Houston has welcomed thousands of visitors from around the world for the FIFA World Cup. Whether attending games at Houston Stadium or congregating with their countrymen at the FIFA Fan Festival, the city has been on full display. But what are visitors doing in Houston outside of watching the world’s game? We know travelers have been singing the virtues of Texas barbecue and our excessive use of condiments, but what else are they into? What is something that Houston has that people from around the world would make a point of seeking out?
Well, it’s Space Center Houston, of course.
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NASA and the Space Center always seem to pop up in conversation while speaking with visitors from around the world, who braved Houston’s heat and unpredictable weather to make it to the FIFA Fan Festival. Turns out visiting NASA is a lot of World Cup visitors’ prerogative.
“I am staying in downtown, but I most want to go to the Houston Space Center,” a Cristiano Ronaldo fan from Israel told Chron. “I heard it’s amazing.”
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JUNE 03: A detail view of the Space Center Houston Esphera during the preparations for FIFA Fan Festival ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 03, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maria Lysaker/Getty Images)
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The Space Center was also on the agenda for Swedish and Portuguese fans whose national teams traveled to Houston to play games here, as well as for fans from other countries in Houston to experience the World Cup. But it’s not just international visitors who are interested in the space program.
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Take, for instance, Jose Melero, a FIFA World Cup volunteer who traveled from Detroit to work as a volunteer. While he has been in Houston the past couple weeks, the Space Center was one of the must-visit landmarks on his list of things to do
“It was fun to see kind of behind the scenes of all that stuff,” Melero said. “The scale of everything was remarkable; everything was so gigantic.”
Space Center Houston is experiencing the benefits of the FIFA World Cup, with visitors from all over the world making it a point to visit while the competition is in town.
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“A new and different energy” for the NASA landmark
Melero said the Space Center was extremely busy when he went, noting other World Cup travelers by the sheer number of soccer jerseys visitors wore. The Space Center itself says the World Cup has brought people from all over to experience what Space City is all about. Keesha Bullock, chief operating and strategy officer for Space Center Houston, told Chron that there is definitely a Halo effect due to the World Cup.
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“I can tell you it’s very exciting,” Bullock told Chron. “We’re definitely seeing a lift in our attendance. And many of those travelers are international travelers.”
Bullock described the long line that regularly forms before the center opens its doors for the day, with the majority wearing all sorts of soccer jerseys representing dozens of countries and club teams. It’s been an energizing period for the Space Center and something that feels very special.
“If you could see the line here, just the number of jerseys and the flair and all of those things,” Bullock said. “It has brought a new and different energy to Space Center Houston.”
Overall view of activity in Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, Building 30, on the second day of the Apollo II lunar landing mission. A picture of astronaut Neil A. Armstrong was being transmitted from the color TV camera aboard the Apollo II spacecraft as it traveled toward the moon. The spacecraft was about 130,000 nautical miles from Earth when this photo was taken.
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
World Cup travelers have been enjoying exhibits like the Space Center’s Lunar sample, which offers visitors the opportunity to actually touch a piece of the moon. Visitors have also been excited about taking the tram to visit the Johnson Space Center to see where astronauts train and the mission control and mission support centers. International visitors seem particularly excited about the Center’s Artemis II exhibit and the merch shop, with NASA clothing and memorabilia flying off the shelves.
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“Space Center Houston and NASA merch are selling out in the store as well,” Bullock shared.
The excitement around NASA and the Space Center, with the thousands of visitors continuing to descend upon Houston for the World Cup, is incredible. Houston is Space City, even though that title may fade in the eyes of some. People from around the world have come to the city, and NASA is near the top of their list of things to do–evidence that the title still carries weight.
“We know that people from around the world visiting Houston are telling us that Space Center Houston was high on their list while they’re here,” Bullock said. “What we’re seeing is that for many of our visitors here for soccer, a trip to Houston is absolutely not complete without experiencing space exploration.”
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