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Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Kennedy Space Center Cape Canaveral

After taking a quick run through Disney world, the following day’s journey takes us to about as far as you can go on the east coast of Florida to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. There are no wild exotic stories about the space center for it’s about the easiest place to find that you can imagine. Lots of signs and marking to tell you how to find the main areas.

Well maybe one amusing point. All along the roadways to the Cape there are signs saying “Emergency Stopping Only.” Only later did we find out that this is also one of the largest natural wild life preserves there is. The water filled ditches, ponds and lagoons along the highways more than likely are the homes of alligators. The buzzards that are constantly circulating overhead make you wonder when they have eaten last.

From Then to Now

Walking into the entrance of the space center you begin to realize how great a project this really is. How difficult it was in the beginning to arrive where we are today. Seeing the launches and recoveries on TV will never be able to show how enormous everything is.

The tiny capsules that carried the first pioneers into space and back seem like drops in a bucket when compared to the size of today’s shuttle and its booster rockets.

There is so much to see that it would take a least two days to see everything that is important. Maybe longer to absorb the history you are experiencing.

Two Hour Bus Tour

Just walking around the main area served to put the old fogie knees in a state of numbness. The bus tour would take us to three other locations in the 240 acre plus complex, where you could get off at each stop and enjoy more aspects of the space world.

The fogie knees won out, and we decided to stay on the bus and just enjoy the ride past the various special areas. Where the shuttle is stored, where it is built, where the astronauts are quarantined before flights and much much more.

Joe

Our bus operator “Joe” was a keen guide, who enjoyed his job, indicated by his tone of voice and interest in his passengers. He slowed and pointed out some ‘gators’ along the way, a 3000 lb eagles nest, as well as much detail on the space program now, and what may come in the future.

It was a wonderful day, I wish I could have stayed for the second one, if you get the chance to visit the Kennedy Space Center, it is well worth it.

The short slide show here is only a small taste of what mankind has accomplished, and a look into what the future may bring forth.