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beccastareyesI made it to Cape Canaveral safely, though my luggage had to take a later flight from Chicago. Dad's place is pretty nice -- he has a condo on the beach. Despite the recent terrorist thing, I didn't notice any change in security.
Yesterday, we went to the Kennedy Space Center, because I hadn't been there. We were too late for the 'special tours', which sell out quickly, but we took the normal tour and looked around the rocket garden. The rocket garden was pretty much a bunch of rockets from early missions sitting outside, including some Mercury and Gemini capsules that kids could climb in. I found out that one of the Gemini missions lasted for 14 days -- basically think two people sitting down in a space that was less than what an airplane gives you. Though there was a way to get outside to spacewalk, so some movement had to be possible. (I did quibble with the signs -- Skylab was not the first space station -- the Russians had Salyut before we did.)
We took a bus to the other sites -- an observation gantry from which you could see the Shuttle launch site (and the other pad, that used to be a Shuttle pad, but is now being used to test rockets for the Ares rockets*), a museum for the Apollo program and one for the ISS. The Apollo program center was nice -- they had a reconstruction of the Apollo 8 launch** using the original panels and audio recordings, plus a Saturn V rocket, and a spare lunar rover and spacecraft. The ISS one also had replicas of the space station components, plus windows into the clean rooms where the stuff sits until it's loaded into the Shuttle. The final (US-made) piece was sitting in there now -- the space station is almost done.
We also got to see the buildings where the Shuttles go when it's not in use -- they have a couple of service bays, plus a ginormous building (the Vehicle Assembly Building) where the Shuttle gets attached to the rocket boosters. (It's the tallest 'single-story' building in the world, and really impossible to get a sense of scale -- apparently the top could fit Yankee Stadium with room to spare). Sadly, it was a bit early to see the Shuttle on the pad -- Discovery has a launch date in early February, but it was still getting its rocket boosters attached.
There was also a robot exhibit, but by that time, we were getting hungry, and it was past 2 PM. Dad had packed a picnic lunch, but the security wouldn't let you bring in much. It is post 9-11 and technically it's a government facility, so apparently the cooler might hide a bomb or something. Or else, they just wanted to sell us over-priced food to keep the exhibits solvent. Anyway, we went to the wildlife refuge and had lunch, and saw birds -- mostly egrets and herons and ducks, and a boatload of sandpipers, and vultures and ospreys. And also gators -- they live pretty much everywhere there's standing water, including roadside ditches. On the bus around Kennedy, the driver pointed out an eagle's nest that's been in use since the 70s -- Dad saw an eagle on the drive up, but I missed it.
After that, we went home, ate pizza and watched the Bowl game. Which wasn't too interesting -- Nebraska beat Arizona 33 to 0. I did learn from Dad that if it was the fourth quarter and the other team is trying for a shut-out, going for a field goal when your drive fails is considered bad manners. Basically, if you're going to break the shut-out, it should be a touchdown or nothing. (Yes, I actually understand football, kind of.)
* The things that are supposed to replace the Shuttle and be enough to loft people out of low-Earth orbit. Currently only one test has flown, and the actual rockets should be ready sometime in the middle of next decade, if NASA gets a boost in funding. The Shuttle is supposed to retire next year. This is making a lot of folks unhappy, since it means we will spend at least 4-5 years dependent on the Russians to get people into space. (NASA has other rockets, but they are designed to launch robots and satellites.
** The first mission that made it to circum-lunar space. 1 had the fire, 7 was the next human mission, but it stayed in orbit in case there was a problem.
Yesterday, we went to the Kennedy Space Center, because I hadn't been there. We were too late for the 'special tours', which sell out quickly, but we took the normal tour and looked around the rocket garden. The rocket garden was pretty much a bunch of rockets from early missions sitting outside, including some Mercury and Gemini capsules that kids could climb in. I found out that one of the Gemini missions lasted for 14 days -- basically think two people sitting down in a space that was less than what an airplane gives you. Though there was a way to get outside to spacewalk, so some movement had to be possible. (I did quibble with the signs -- Skylab was not the first space station -- the Russians had Salyut before we did.)
We took a bus to the other sites -- an observation gantry from which you could see the Shuttle launch site (and the other pad, that used to be a Shuttle pad, but is now being used to test rockets for the Ares rockets*), a museum for the Apollo program and one for the ISS. The Apollo program center was nice -- they had a reconstruction of the Apollo 8 launch** using the original panels and audio recordings, plus a Saturn V rocket, and a spare lunar rover and spacecraft. The ISS one also had replicas of the space station components, plus windows into the clean rooms where the stuff sits until it's loaded into the Shuttle. The final (US-made) piece was sitting in there now -- the space station is almost done.
We also got to see the buildings where the Shuttles go when it's not in use -- they have a couple of service bays, plus a ginormous building (the Vehicle Assembly Building) where the Shuttle gets attached to the rocket boosters. (It's the tallest 'single-story' building in the world, and really impossible to get a sense of scale -- apparently the top could fit Yankee Stadium with room to spare). Sadly, it was a bit early to see the Shuttle on the pad -- Discovery has a launch date in early February, but it was still getting its rocket boosters attached.
There was also a robot exhibit, but by that time, we were getting hungry, and it was past 2 PM. Dad had packed a picnic lunch, but the security wouldn't let you bring in much. It is post 9-11 and technically it's a government facility, so apparently the cooler might hide a bomb or something. Or else, they just wanted to sell us over-priced food to keep the exhibits solvent. Anyway, we went to the wildlife refuge and had lunch, and saw birds -- mostly egrets and herons and ducks, and a boatload of sandpipers, and vultures and ospreys. And also gators -- they live pretty much everywhere there's standing water, including roadside ditches. On the bus around Kennedy, the driver pointed out an eagle's nest that's been in use since the 70s -- Dad saw an eagle on the drive up, but I missed it.
After that, we went home, ate pizza and watched the Bowl game. Which wasn't too interesting -- Nebraska beat Arizona 33 to 0. I did learn from Dad that if it was the fourth quarter and the other team is trying for a shut-out, going for a field goal when your drive fails is considered bad manners. Basically, if you're going to break the shut-out, it should be a touchdown or nothing. (Yes, I actually understand football, kind of.)
* The things that are supposed to replace the Shuttle and be enough to loft people out of low-Earth orbit. Currently only one test has flown, and the actual rockets should be ready sometime in the middle of next decade, if NASA gets a boost in funding. The Shuttle is supposed to retire next year. This is making a lot of folks unhappy, since it means we will spend at least 4-5 years dependent on the Russians to get people into space. (NASA has other rockets, but they are designed to launch robots and satellites.
** The first mission that made it to circum-lunar space. 1 had the fire, 7 was the next human mission, but it stayed in orbit in case there was a problem.
