President Kennedy said these words at Rice University in Houston Texas 50 years ago, and his promise was fulfilled in July of 1969 when Neil Armstrong placed "one step for man, one giant leap for mankind" on the surface of the moon.
We had expected that we would have rain showers all day to contend with, but we had planned to go to the Kennedy Space Center as one of our primary goals for this trip, so we headed down the highway, close to 120 miles from Saint Augustine. The Accord was great, the ride quiet and smooth, and we sped in and out of small showers all the way to Titusville. The KSC has no actual address, and lists the GPS as "28o31'34.10"N and 80o40'45.12"W" However, the navi had Kennedy Space Center as a pre-loaded destination, so it loaded and sent us on our way.
By the time we got to Titusville, there were patches of blue sky pushing away the rain clouds, and we headed across the causeway to the Center under fair skies and 70o temperatures. As you turn in at the visitor center, you can see the rear of the Atlantis Shuttle, that will be on display this coming summer. They are working on the display, and still haven't put in the final wall.
The basic rate for the entrance fee is $50 each; for an additional $25 each we got the "KSC Up Close" tour. It was worth every penny.
You enter through the "rocket farm," where most of the rockets on display are actual, retired rockets.
We arrived with 10 minutes to spare for the Close Up tour, so we headed directly to the tour center.
We were loaded on the bus and headed deep into the center, to a location about 5 miles from the launch pads where many of the visitors sit to view the launches. We learned that the safe zone for launches is a 3 mile radius; anything inside that could cause damage internally and to your ears from the noise and the vibrations. We took pictures of the launch pads from there.
Way in the distance you could see the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).
This was our next stop. You really can't get an idea of the size of the building. As you get closer and closer, it just keeps getting bigger. We got to go inside the building, and it was even more impressive.
The yellow item in this view, way overhead, is a 350-ton crane used to lift sections of a rocket from the assembly floor through the "high-lift" opening to the right, and on top of the rocket assembly. For the shuttle, it also required a 150-ton crane to assist. And, the shuttle had to be rotated 45o to slip through the hole. This picture showed how it was lifted:
Once assembly is complete and the rocket or shuttle is ready to move to the launch pad, the transport is moved into place. This vehicle is huge; again. it's difficult to describe the size, but the surface it rides on is as wide as a 10-lane highway, and the vehicle takes up most of it!
The panels in the assembly bay door lift and stack up like playing cards, allowing the rocket to be slowly removed from the building and transported to the launch pad.
Back on the bus, we travelled around the site to a place about a mile from the launch pads 38 A and 38 B. Too close for humans to stay during the launch, but there is a huge camera here that's used to film the launches.
There's really too much to post here, and the amount of information is truly overwhelming. I'm trying to reduce it to a manageable level.
After the launch pads, the bus took us to the Apollo Saturn V center, where we got a chance to sit in a replica of the control center and witness a re-creation of the launch of Apollo V, the first to orbit the moon. I remember when the actual launch was televised, and we were sitting on the edge of our seats. When this launch happened, we were barraged with the noise of the rockets, and the seats rumbled in harmony, making it very realistic. I could feel the excitement and pride return as it brought back those memories.
I got this shot before they asked us to turn off our flashes. When the lights went down, it was impossible to get a good shot. Take a look at the company names on the backs of the lab coats. The videos they showed had those same coats (with people in them).
After the launch show, we exited to the main hall, where a full-size Saturn V rocket was suspended over our heads. Again, it's hard to describe the scale of this immense beast that could launch three men into space.
Linda could stand up in one of these cones; you can see there were five of them on the first stage alone!
Here's a shot of the Apollo V command module:
We were taken by bus back to the main area, where we were just in time to go in and get a close-up view of the Shuttle Atlantis, which is being retired here. At the end of the week the exhibit will close until Summer 2013 when it's complete. Now that's good timing!
We had the opportunity to experience the Shuttle launch simulator. You had to lock all cameras, phones, carry bags and other loose items in a locker before going in, to prevent items from falling, so no pictures. 44 people are placed in the simulator, belted into their seats, and watch a video view as if you're looking out of the shuttle's front ports. As the countdown gets closer, the entire simulator is tilted backwards until you're 90o over, flat on your back. When the countdown reaches zero, the noise is deafening, and it feels real enough that you can feel the g-forces pushing you back into your seat; your face actually feels as if it's being pulled down by the forces. You experience the slight change as you pass through the atmosphere, then the renewed g-forces as you begin your thrust into space. The release of the booster rockets, then the extra tank are powerful and real. You are returned to horizonal slowly, then as the extra tank is jettisoned, you are tipped forward slightly as you experience the change in momentum. It's not a roller coaster, but it is so much more.
There was so much more that we could have seen, but it was after 3, we had a two-hour drive ahead, and we were overloaded with what we had seen and experienced. We headed back up to Saint Augustine.
As we got back on the A1A headed north, we decided to stop for dinner at the Red Frog and McToad's. The beer was good, the food was delicious, and the people we met at the bar were friendly and funny. After dinner, it was only 10 minutes back to the hotel, where we're ready to crash.
We had originally planned to leave tomorrow, but we've decided to extend our stay another day. It's been that good of a week so far!
No comments:
Post a Comment