Since being founded as the United States' civilian spaceport and missile testing ground, NASA's Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida have been host to visits by eight sitting U.S. presidents and seven vice presidents.
To date, three sitting presidents have witnessed crewed launches from the Cape.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, President |
Feb. 10, 1960: |
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Visited Cape Canaveral |
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John F. Kennedy, President |
Feb. 23, 1962: |
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Project Mercury ceremony - presented astronaut John Glenn and Robert Gilruth, director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, with NASA Distinguished Service Medals |
Sep. 11, 1962: |
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Toured launch complexes for Mercury-Atlas, Titan and Saturn C-1 rockets |
Nov. 16, 1963: |
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Visited Cape Canaveral. Watched launch of a Polaris missile from submarine.
President was in helicopter flying over the MILA tracking station (under construction) |
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Lyndon Johnson, Vice President |
Oct. 3, 1961: |
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tour of space installations |
Feb. 23, 1962: |
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Project Mercury ceremony |
Sep. 11, 1962: |
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tour of LOC with President Kennedy |
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Lyndon Johnson, President |
Sep. 15, 1964: |
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Visit to Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, received a briefing at the LC-34 blockhouse, visited Hangar AM and Mission Control Center |
Sep. 27, 1966: |
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With West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard for tour; delivered a speech in the Vehicle Assembly Building |
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Lyndon Johnson, civilian |
Jul. 15-16, 1969: |
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Viewed Apollo 11 launch |
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Hubert Humphrey, Vice President |
Feb. 22, 1965: |
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Tour of KSC and Air Force facilities and briefings of various space programs |
Mar. 23, 1965: |
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Visit during the Gemini 3 mission |
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Richard Nixon, President |
Nov. 14, 1969: |
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Viewed Apollo 12 launch — first sitting President to view NASA launch |
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Spiro Agnew, Vice President |
Mar. 3, 1969: |
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Viewed Apollo 9 launch |
Jul. 16, 1969: |
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Viewed Apollo 11 launch |
Apr. 11, 1970: |
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Viewed Apollo 13 launch |
Jan. 31, 1971: |
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Viewed Apollo 14 launch |
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Jimmy Carter, President |
Oct. 1, 1978: |
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Celebration for NASA's 20th Anniversary - awards to astronauts in Vehicle Assembly Building |
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Jimmy Carter, civilian |
Jan. 3, 2002: |
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Toured Kennedy Space Center with his wife, Rosalyn |
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George H.W. Bush, Vice President |
Mar. 17, 1981: |
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Tour of space shuttle operations and met with STS-1 crew |
Feb. 5, 1982: |
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Spacelab dedication in O&C Building |
Sep. 5, 1983: |
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KSC's Labor Day picnic - held at press site |
Jan. 28, 1986: |
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Loss of space shuttle Challenger and the STS-51L crew - visit with astronaut families and NASA officials |
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Dan Quayle, Vice President |
Feb. 20, 1991: |
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Tour of LCC, LC-39A and visit with STS-39 crew — watched countdown test |
May 9, 1991: |
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Spaceport USA to dedicate Space Mirror |
Sep. 12, 1992: |
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Bill Clinton, President |
Oct. 29, 1998: |
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Viewed STS-95 launch (John Glenn on board) |
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Al Gore, civilian |
Feb. 7, 2015: |
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NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory launch attempt and news conference |
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Dick Cheney, Vice President |
Jul. 1, 2006: |
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Attended STS-121 launch attempt |
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Barack Obama, President |
Apr. 15, 2010: |
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Delivered speech on space vision in O&C. Toured Complex 40 SpaceX launch pad. |
Apr. 29, 2011: |
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Attended STS-134 launch attempt. Viewed Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 and visited with STS-134 crew. |
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Donald Trump, President |
May 27, 2020: |
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Toured with the First Wife Armstrong O&C Building. |
May 30, 2020: |
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Viewed SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 launch from Operations Support Building II. Delivered speech in VAB. |
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Mike Pence, Vice President |
Jul. 6, 2017: |
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Delivered speech on National Space Council in VAB. Toured Armstrong O&C building. |
Feb. 20-21, 2018: |
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Chaired National Space Council meeting in Space Station Processing Facility. |
Jul. 20, 2019: |
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Delivered speech on 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing at Armstrong O&C building. |
May 27, 2020: |
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Attended walkout of SpaceX Crew Dragon-2 crew for first launch attempt. Toured Armstrong O&C building. |
May 30, 2020: |
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Viewed SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 launch. Delivered speech in VAB. |
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Kamala Harris, Vice President |
Aug. 29, 2022: |
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Attended Artemis I first launch attempt. Toured Armstrong O&C building. |
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Wernher von Braun, the director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, at left, explains operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 to President John F. Kennedy, right, during a tour on Nov 16, 1963. (NASA)
Vice President Spiro Agnew and former President Lyndon Johnson view the Apollo 11 launch at Kennedy Space Center, 1969. (NASA)
President Nixon watches Apollo 12 pre-launch activities from the Kennedy Space Center's viewing area on Nov. 14, 1969. (NASA)
President and Mrs. Clinton watch the launch of the space shuttle Discovery from the roof of the Launch Control Center. (NASA)
President Donald Trump, right, Vice President Mike Pence view the launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2, May 30, 2020. (NASA) |
