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NASA Launch Commentator: Three, two, one, zero and liftoff!

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Narrator: Throughout its fifty-year history, NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Florida's

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east coast has frequently been the focus of the world's

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attention as astronauts rocketed into space.

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But few have had an opportunity to visit key operational areas of America's spaceport.

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A recent partnership between NASA and Google Maps now allows anyone with access to the

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Internet to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the space center.

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You can take in the breathtaking view from the top of Launch Pad 39A --

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typically seen only by the astronauts and space center employees.

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Or try a virtual walk through the enormous Vehicle Assembly Building --

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one of the largest structures in the world. This is where the rocket stages are stacked for launch.

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In the assembly building you'll get a close-up view of the space shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour.

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For thirty years these pioneering spaceships took astronauts into orbit.

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Inside the main engine shop, you can inspect the powerful machines that helped boost the shuttles into space.

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These amazing, and previously unavailable views are made possible by the Google team's specially-designed cameras.

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These cameras are mounted on a variety of vehicles ? an SUV, a three-wheeled tricycle, and even a small handcart.

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The three-wheeled tricycle was used to get to spots the SUV is too big to cover,

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while the handcart is meant for even smaller places.

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Combined, the Google team used these tools to record multi-directional,

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360-degree views of the center's most famous sites.

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These historic landmarks include the consoles in the Launch Control Center Firing Rooms.

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Imagine the tension-filled moments as NASA managers and engineers ensured everything was

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"Go for launch", and now you can go there.

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You can also step back in history, walking beside a 363-foot Saturn Five rocket

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like those which sent astronauts to the moon during the 1960s and early '70s.

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To begin your virtual tour, go to maps-dot-Google-dot-com-slash-streetview.

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You can also use Google Maps to navigate to Kennedy Space Center, and then switch to