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Where to shop for space souvenirs

Rocket Town on Bay Area Boulevard has a walk-in replica of the international space station's science lab. And of course Space Center Houston's gift shop is conveniently located near a two-story slide.
So how can a cramped, easy-to-miss souvenir shop almost as old as NASA possibly compete? It's the appeal of ye old curiosity shop.
Tucked away in one of the NASA Parkway's older strip centers between Highway 3 and I-45, Space Center Souvenirs has something for both out-of-towners (it's not as easy as you think to find good postcards in the age of e-mail) and the space-crazy kids of NASA engineers (how about "the largest inflatable RC robot ever"?).
Among the finds on a recent exploration:
Patches and pins from space missions going back to Apollo and Gemini. It goes without saying.
A necktie made of fabric depicting the cratered surface of the moon.
T-shirts starting at $6.99. Choose between a tasteful view of the international space station and kittens wearing space suits. And everything in between.
A pen with a cache of "moon dust simulant."
Space-themed pencil sharpeners, refrigerator magnets, collector spoons, coins, all the standards.
NASA-logo-embossed everything: golf balls, antenna balls, travel alarms, button covers, lanyards, onesies, cigarette lighters, playing cards and shot glasses.
Freeze-dried ice cream.
Space shuttle replicas from 99 cents to $185.
For the international visitors who apparently have a penchant for gag gifts, there's even a large selection of Texas momentos, including armadillo bobbleheads, armadillo milk and armadillos in a can.
We in Clear Lake will stick to our commemorative coins.

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