Johnson Space Center, located in the Clear Lake area, hosts an annual event celebrating man's fascination with flight. The Ballunar Liftoff Festival features one of the largest hot air balloon maneuvering and navigational contests, drawing over 100 participants. Along with great food and live music entertainment, a colorful line-up of balloons are known to fire-up their propane jets, skillfully synchronized with the beat of the music.
At Johnson, a NASA center for space mission operations, oversees Space Shuttle and International Space Station functions, astronaut training and mission design. Situated on the southeast corner of Houston's megalopolis, the Texas attraction, Space Center Houston welcomes all. Here, displays of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules capture the interest of space buffs. Children are fascinated with moon rocks, a drivable lunar rover, spacewalk simulator and the life-like Imax Theater.