Are the crowds at Disney and Universal driving you mad? Well, why not go off the beaten path and satisfy your out-of-space curiosity and head over to the Kennedy Space Center. On May 25, 2007, the center officially opened Shuttle Launch Experience.

According to the Kennedy Space Center press release, the Shuttle Launch Experience sends the visitor through a simulation into the Earth’s orbit. The ride took three years to develop with veteran Space Shuttle astronauts, attraction experts and a design team. It utilizes modern technology to simulate the blast into orbit. Speakers under each seat help to rumble and shake the rider during the main engine ignition and air bags in the seats simulate the effect of G forces on the body during liftoff.

“It’s not a thrill ride,” said Dan LeBlanc, chief operating officer of the Visitor Complex. “You won’t be dodging asteroids or battling any aliens. We have worked hard to ensure that it is as close as you can be to simulating the reality of a Space Shuttle launch within the confines of Earth’s gravity.”

This is the first of a series of exhibits that the Space Center will launch over the next ten years to help the average visitor better understand space travel (and who knows what that will mean to the future of gay travel).

The Kennedy Space Center is located in Merritt Island, just 45 minutes from Orlando. For more information go to the Kennedy Space Center website at http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/.