How you can get up close with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Just in time to attract the most inquisitive families in the Houston area during spring break, Space Center Houston is ready to open its SpaceX Falcon 9 booster exhibit to the public Thursday.

Following in the footsteps of NASA's space shuttles of years' past, SpaceX is using the Falcon 9 as a reusable craft that launches supplies and research into space, with the unprecedented wrinkle of it being used for commercial use.

In fact, a Falcon 9 rocket launched at Cape Canaveral this past Saturday, headed to the International Space Station.

Here on Earth, Space Center Houston is offering a closer look of a Falcon 9 booster, which is two of its kind on public display.

The exhibit, which is displayed horizontally and elevated 14 feet off the ground near the Space Center's Independence Plaza, gives guests a chance to walk underneath its core.

This Falcon 9, the B1035, had launched as part of two NASA resupply missions, both in 2017, before entering retirement.

There are additional details and ticketing info on the SpaceX exhibit through the Space Center Houston site.

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