Kennedy Space Center's bus tours turned 60 years old this month, marking six decades of transporting visitors through the historic space center. The tours began in July 1966, just months after NASA opened the public to the site, and have since become a staple for tourists and space enthusiasts. Steve Agid, a tour communicator for the past 10 years, said the experience lets visitors see the space program in ways television cannot. 'You look at the people and you see the eyes light up,' Agid said. 'It’s that connection to the real work happening here.'
Agid’s career at Kennedy Space Center started in the 1970s as a tour guide for the interpretive service office, now called communicators. He later worked on NASA shuttle missions, testing spacecraft during 60 of the 135 shuttle flights. He also served as the launch commentator for Atlas and Delta rockets until 2016. His first visit to the center was as a child in the mid-1960s, before bus tours existed. 'People used to drive in their own cars,' he said. 'We had to borrow five more buses on the first day because 10 weren’t enough.'
The inaugural bus tour took place on a rainy Friday in July 1966. Agid said 13,555 guests attended the first week, 100,000 in the first three months and nearly 500,000 in the first year. 'That first week was chaos,' he said. 'But it worked.' The tours now cover landmarks like the Vehicle Assembly Building, viewing gantry and launch pads, giving visitors a glimpse of the center’s operational heart.
Today, the bus tours have welcomed tens of millions of visitors. Agid said the tours remain a vital link between the public and the space program. 'You see the same excitement in people now as you did then,' he said. 'It’s a way to keep the legacy alive.'