Today was the day I think Dad has looked forward to since he was a little kid, a visit to the Kennedy Space Centre. We arrived at opening time, and after some pretty strict security we made it through (just as well, Carla was planning to steal design plans of the shuttle and turn it into a tool for world domination….mwah ha ha ha haaaa)
Firstly, we looked at the rocket garden, which has full size actual rockets and modules. From the old Mercury rockets, through to the Saturn ones of the Apollo missions to ones currently in use. They all stand vertical in the garden, and they are just unbelievable. The Juno rocket wasn’t there due to hurricane damage. We could see where the rocket had landed and been blown down, and we are talking about a full size rocket, not just some little model! The actual walk ramp that was used by the Apollo 11 astronauts was present. After quite a wander, we went to the buses for the big tour.
This tour takes you out past the VAB(vehicle assembly building) This is where shuttles and rockets are assembled and pieced together, then taken to the launch pad on these big crawlers. Crawlers are like giant tractor wheels, with a top speed of 2 miles per hour (that’s post transport of the shuttle). We then went to a viewing tower at one of the old launch sites. You can see out over the island, the various buildings and launch pads, the area is just huge. There are video presentation and information displays to be seen. On the way past, you see where the press assembles for launches. From there you are taken to the Apollo Saturn 5 Visitor Centre. In it, there is a full size Saturn 5 rocket. There are details of every Apollo mission. A theatre that shows a presentation of the Apollo 11 mission. The actual control centre of the Apollo 11, the lunar modules (LM), the re-entry shuttle of the Apollo 8, “Mars rock”, Mars rovers, and it just goes on. It’s fascinating, and really special for Dad as he remembers so much of this. We also discovered there is a shuttle launch planned for May, the first since the Colombia tragedy.
After the tour, we saw some IMAX movies, and wandered around. Saw the full size shuttle and its rockets. There’s a memorial to the fallen astronauts, and right next to it, a pond, complete with alligators. We’ve seen a fair few in Florida (including some in the lake next to our hotel….hmmm) along with armadillo’s and raccoons. That night we had dinner at Denny’s, with some people Dad has contact with, which was neat.