Florida’s Kennedy Space Center Keeps Retired Astronauts on the Payroll — and You Can Meet Them in Person

For the generations of people that grew up watching shuttle launches on television or even in person, there’s little that’s more magical than the thought of going to space. When the shuttle program ended in 2011, with it went the career astronaut, or so we thought at the time. But they’ve found a new home and purpose at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.

What makes the visitor complex unique isn’t just witnessing the massive craft that took these men and women to space or seeing the flight suits up close. It’s that, on any given day, you can meet them and hear their stories firsthand. 

Among them is Winston Scott, a veteran astronaut who traveled aboard the Endeavor and Columbia where he spent time living and working in space, and even participating in three space walks. He’s one of approximately 40 retired astronauts paid to share stories from their time in space through daily programming over the course of several days. Scott now serves as the resident astronaut.

“Typically, when an astronaut leaves active duty — that is, you’re no longer actively flying with NASA — other opportunities open up to you,” Scott told Travel + Leisure. “I was approached by the resident astronaut at that time to do appearances at the Space Center. This was just a little over 20 years ago.”

Since then, Scott and his colleagues have participated in countless programs offered daily. The Astronaut Encounter program gives the astronauts a chance to present about their experiences and sign autographs. The center also welcomes astronauts from Canada, Brazil, and beyond to share. 

“The astronaut will give a presentation about his or her experiences in space and then entertain questions and answers from the audience [of] several hundred people,” Scott added. 

Chat With an Astronaut is a similar setup, but comes with a meal for an added fee in a more intimate setting.

“The participants get a chance to ask that person questions and get feedback. We limit it to 30 or 35 people, so it’s really very intimate. If the group gets small enough, the astronaut will come out and sit at the table with you,” Scott shared. 

Travelers come from all over the world to learn about the American space program.

“Not only do we have visitors from 50 states in the union, but we also have a lot of international business. We get a lot of people from the U.K., people from Asia — Japan, China — from all over.”

The center continues to host launches, including 85 in 2024, plus new areas are opening so there’s never been a better time to meet the astronauts. 

“We’re getting ready to start a program called the Gantry at Launch Complex 39. Complex 39 is a historical complex that Apollo astronauts launched from,” Scott said. It’s also the closest viewing site to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s launchpads. 

The astronaut programming is not only a way to share more information on the sciences, but it also preserves the stories of these rare individuals who have been to space at a time when space travel is becoming more of an option to the public, thanks to SpaceX and Virgin Galactic.

“The group [of astronauts] is somewhat exclusive, and we take that very seriously. Astronauts who participate in this program universally do so out of a sense of wanting to share the experience with others,” Scott said. “We want to inspire — not just the next generation of young people, but we want to inspire people of all ages out in public to support the space program, to be excited about the space program.”