Florida ? Nearly 40 astronauts Friday became the first to ride aboard a NASA tourist attraction that re-creates a journey aboard the space shuttle, complete with the deep rumble of liftoff and a serene view of the Earth from orbit.

The $60 million Shuttle Launch Experience at the Kennedy Space Center is the agency’s first venture into the theme-park ride business, and the astronauts said it is comparable to a real shuttle flight.

“It’s pretty realistic with all the shakes and rattles and vibration,” said John Young, commander of the first shuttle mission and one of those who took the inaugural ride, pictured above.

The venture was funded with visitors center admissions and private financing, not taxpayer money. The cost of a ride is included in the price of admission to the space center: $38 for adults, $28 for children.

Space center officials proposed the idea seven years ago, searching for a new way to renew interest in the shuttle program.