What an awesome day on Florida's Space Coast. Just about the entire day was given over to a tour of two facilities associated with the US space program. www.kennedyspacecenter.com/index.asp. After securing discount tour tickets from the hotel, it was off on an exciting day of sight-seeing!
I got a package that included a guided tour, the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and a lunch with a real astronaut!
First up was the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, a must-see for anyone who grew up watching the space race. The names and history were presented done very well and then it got really interesting. There are simulators where one can experience the effect of pulling "G's", building a rocket, and more. I even got to sit inside a Mercury rocket cone (where the people rode in on top of the rocket!) Really a great way to begin.
Then I drove to the visitor's center at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) where there is something for everyone and it looks like it is just going to get better and better. From the artifacts of the space program to real rockets and the space shuttle, it was one inspiring sight after another. The films were first-rate and I felt like a kid in a candy store as I rushed from place to place.
A highlight of the visitor's center experience of course was the lunch where I joined a lot of folks (including a huge school group) at a buffet lunch where astronaut COL. William Pouge (USAF, ret.) gave a neat talk on the effects of zero-gravity on people in space.
After that, it was time for a relaxing stroll before joining the tour of the rest of the KSC. We saw the launch pads for the shuttles, visited the Saturn V rocket center where the Apollo missions were lanched and got a first-hand look at some of the wildlife that calls this amazing place home.
Having seen and done so much, it was time to make tracks south. I ended up in Florida City (just south of Miami) because tomorrow morning I realize a dream of visiting the famous Florida Keys! Come back tomorrow night to see more!
I got a package that included a guided tour, the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and a lunch with a real astronaut!
First up was the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, a must-see for anyone who grew up watching the space race. The names and history were presented done very well and then it got really interesting. There are simulators where one can experience the effect of pulling "G's", building a rocket, and more. I even got to sit inside a Mercury rocket cone (where the people rode in on top of the rocket!) Really a great way to begin.
Then I drove to the visitor's center at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) where there is something for everyone and it looks like it is just going to get better and better. From the artifacts of the space program to real rockets and the space shuttle, it was one inspiring sight after another. The films were first-rate and I felt like a kid in a candy store as I rushed from place to place.
A highlight of the visitor's center experience of course was the lunch where I joined a lot of folks (including a huge school group) at a buffet lunch where astronaut COL. William Pouge (USAF, ret.) gave a neat talk on the effects of zero-gravity on people in space.
After that, it was time for a relaxing stroll before joining the tour of the rest of the KSC. We saw the launch pads for the shuttles, visited the Saturn V rocket center where the Apollo missions were lanched and got a first-hand look at some of the wildlife that calls this amazing place home.
Having seen and done so much, it was time to make tracks south. I ended up in Florida City (just south of Miami) because tomorrow morning I realize a dream of visiting the famous Florida Keys! Come back tomorrow night to see more!
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