This is going to be my hardest and longest blog post yet. I have cut the photos down from over 300 to around 100 (mostly of the Saturn Apollo V and Atlantis halls) and I still feel I’ve left out a heap. And words are just not enough to describe this amazing place. So my apologies if you get bored with this blog but I doubt that will happen as it was a great day. In fact we reckon it was the most inspiring, imaginative, exhilarating, interesting satisfying day we have had in many years. Where are we talking about? NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that’s where.
I’ll start you off with a short video. What KSC has done is to move the actual Launch Control Room using the very same consoles as were used for launches and then with real time video on the 3 large screens above they take you through a rocket launch sequence. It is exhilarating counting down the final seconds. You can ‘feel’ the tension that the people working that day would feel. Watch and enjoy.
(Video “Apollo Blastoff” here)
Now to the first gallery hosted by a real tough astronaut. Me! As you drive closer to the KSC one feature becomes prominent, the Space Shuttle’s Booster rockets and huge fuel cell. Once in the parking lot we got our tickets and headed (as suggested) to the bus tour. The Apollo/Saturn V Center is actually several miles from the KSC and NASA has a series of buses that take you to that place. On the way the bus driver/tour guide dazzled us with an astounding volume of facts and figures. Don’t expect me to repeat even a fraction of what he told us but believe me when I say it is mind boggling. On the way to the ASVC we passed the working site of Elon Musk’s Spacex Corporation. Though it’s difficult to see there is a rocket in that launch frame being readied to go into space during the first week of August 2018. Unfortunately we missed a launch by just 2 days. Enroute there were many points of interest including pads 39 A & B where many launches happen. Finally we reached the ASVC and were ushered inside to an exact replica launch control room. You saw the video so I won’t rabbit on about it again.
Once the launch sequence completed we passed through to another door to be confronted by the most powerful and largest rocket ever built, a Saturn V rocket. I have tried to organise the photos to show the rocket in pieces in their correct order interspersed with a few info pics. The dimensions of this thing are awe inspiring. I was not prepared for its massive size. Words are not enough. After a quick bite to eat (the KSC and ASVC have eateries and stores throughout their respective complexes) we moved to the next section where there were displays from the Apollo moon missions right down to hand written flight plans. They also have a piece of ‘moon rock’ that you can feel/touch. From there we got back on a bus for a return trip to the KSC passing by the huge Vehicle Assembly Building which is one of the world’s largest structures in volume enclosing 3,664,992 cubic metres and covering 3.24 hectares. Once a shuttle is constructed a massive ‘crawler-transporter’ carries the 8.16 million Kg craft at 1mph to the launch pad. After the obligatory photo of us on the moon we next arrived at the Atlantis Shuttle Pavillion.
After blast off at the Space Shuttle Atlantis Experience (SSAE) we walked through the ‘legs’ of the booster rockets and into a Shuttle Launch Simulator. Shane was hesitant due to all the warnings but eventually she came around and climbed aboard. We then experienced a 6 minute ‘ride’ which the astronauts themselves have declared as very close to the real thing. After this brilliant piece of fun more doors opened and we were again surprised to be confronted by the shuttle “Atlantis” exactly as it was when it last landed. It is so close you can almost reach out and touch it. Having watched the progress of the space shuttle program from go to whoa over the years this is a fantastic exhibit with much to see as you can tell by the number of photos. There’s a lifesize Hubble Telescope and an international space station for the kids as well as an ‘escape slide’ for them. I got to try out the shuttle’s toilet system before checking out the other displays. The final 5 photos (4 x red and me on Mars) are actually from the Journey to Mars hall.
Time was getting away from us but we managed to grab a bite at another eatery before heading into the Rocket Garden where Shane did her best Sandra Bullock impression of an Astronaut. There they have the only intact Saturn rocket in existence amid a ‘garden’ of past space vehicles.
Don’t forget to check out this short video (below) showing the internal sections of a Saturn V Rocket and Apollo Capsule followed by a quick size comparison of rockets over time.
At the far end of the garden is the entry to our next exhibit, the “Heroes and Legends Hall of Fame”. Again Shane dressed up as an astronaut before we listened to Mike Mullane, a real astronaut, with four missions to his credit. Here I have only included a few photos here though these guys do deserve more.
That was about it for a very exhaustive day and time had run out. I cannot express just how terrific this day has been for us. I will wager that everyone of our generation knows where they were when Armstrong walked on the moon. We all held our breath as the crew of Apollo 13 fought to return to earth in a crippled spacecraft. We all mourned when in 1986 the shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff killing the entire crew instantly. For Shane and I this day brought all those things to life. To us now they are no longer a ‘news item’ they are real.
We hope you have enjoyed this post as much as we enjoyed the KSC. Even more we hope this has inspired you to come visit this fantastic place. Watch for another blog post shortly as we tell you about our NASCAR event at the famous Daytona International Speedway.
Whats to say ??? …Bloody Fantastic
If we were to come to this area again I would pay to go o all the extra tours that they have on offer. We paid about $55 each, 2 day is $75 BUT the amazing thing is an Annual Pass if only $89 They rely on donations and the difference from 2 to annual is a worth while donation.