The opening will mark the completion of the latest in a series of upgrades made at the Visitor Complex in recent years. Gateway to The Universe. It also offers an orientation video and a display honoring the center's namesake, President John F. Kennedy. Five large video walls provide an introduction to the range of activities and exhibits at the Visitor Complex. Staff are available at the expanded information counter to answer questions and help visitors plan their day.
Information is available in seven languages.
Admission to two of the new experiences, Robot Scouts and Quest For Life, are included in the price of a tour ticket or combination tickets. The walk-through exhibit Robot Scouts tells the story of the unsung heroes of space exploration, NASA's robotic probes. A host robot, Starquester 2000, helps describe the accomplishments of the space probes, the critical role they play in space exploration, and the preparations they made for humans possibly to follow. Perhaps the most thrilling part of the exhibit offers a view of how data from the robotic probes might be used to build a human habitat for Mars. It includes a display for visitors to witness a simulated Martian sunset.