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"Google announced on Thursday that it has added Street View Imagery of NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to its Google Maps platform, giving space fans an up-close look at sites such as the Space Shuttle launch pad and the engine room.\nTo celebrate Kennedy Space Center's 50th birthday, Google released 6,000 panoramic views of the Kennedy Space Center \u2014 its largest special collection of Street View imagery to date. \n\nSEE ALSO: 12 Mysterious Google Maps Sightings\n\"Countless space enthusiasts and kids around the world have grown up wanting to be an astronaut,\" Google wrote on its company blog. \"Now, thanks to this collaboration with NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center, anyone can experience this awe-inspiring and historic place from wherever they may be, and virtually walk in the shoes of their astronaut heroes.\"\nUsers can virtually explore unique areas of the property, from seeing shuttles in hangars up close and the Launch Firing Room, which guided them from the ground. It's also possible to see two of the Space Shuttle Orbiters that recently entered retirement \u2014 the Atlantis and Endeavour \u2014 with Street View. \nGoogle Maps is continually updating its database with new images and features. Earlier this week, the company rolled out planned service alerts for New York City's subway system within Google Maps.\nBONUS: 10 Places You\u2019re Not Allowed to See on Google Maps\n\n\n10 Places You're Not Allowed to See on Google Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. The Royal Residence, The Netherlands\n\nThe Royal Palace of Amsterdam in the Netherlands -- called Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam -- joins a long list of places blurred on Google Maps related to the Dutch royal family, including the Royal Stables and another residence called Huis ten Bosch.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Buffalo Niagara International Airport\n\nThe Buffalo Niagara International Airport is largely whited out on Google Maps and details can't be seen when the area is zoomed in.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Tantauco National Park, Chile\n\nThe Tantauco National Park in Chile can only be seen from a marker via Google Maps. The private natural reserve is home to many endangered animals.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Keowee Dam, South Carolina\n\nMan-made reservoir Keowee Dam on Lake Keowee in South Carolina is also blurred on Google Maps. Shaped like a Christmas tree, the dam helps run a power utility called the Duke Energy company.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5.  Mysterious Russian Site\n\nWe're not entirely sure why this location in Russia has been blurred out, especially since it's in the Siberian tundra. The closest city is Egvekinot, Russia, which is a neighbor to Alaska across the Bering Strait.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Minami Torishima Airport, Japan\n\nThe Minami Torishima Airport -- a one-runway airport serving the island of Minami Torishima, located off the east coast of Japan -- is oversaturated with white. It is currently used by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. The Michael Aaf Building, Utah\n\nThe Dugway Proving Ground in Dugway, Utah is a region occupied by the U.S. Army where the military can test biological and chemical weapon systems. The Michael Aaf building on the proving ground is whited out, most likely for security reasons.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Cornell University Combined Heat and Power Plant, New York\n\nThe Cornell University Combined Heat and Power Plant in Ithaca, NY -- which opened in 2010 -- is blurred on Google Maps.  The high-tech, eco-friendly facility generates electricity from natural gas as a part of the university's effort to lower its carbon dioxide emissions.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. Babylon, Iraq\n\nThe city of Babylon, Iraq looks more like endless farmland than a bustling city. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10. Vlissingen, The Netherlands\n\nProperties owned by the Dutch royal family aren't the only places blurred in the Netherlands. Joining the list are the oil tanks in Vlissingen (pictured), as well as several army bases and air force bases. The land area to the left also appears to be pixelated and adjusted.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/08/02/google-maps-kennedy-space-cente/>