Travel Excursion:
Space Center Remains Heart of American Pride
Apollo Mission Control Consoles - NASA
Photo
By Patrice Raplee
By Patrice Raplee The population over the
age of 40 remembers July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
Americans felt the incredible surge of pride and relief, while watching
breathlessly in front of their TV sets, as astronaut Neil Armstrong
climbed down the ladder of the Lunar Module Eagle and stepped onto
the surface of the moon. It was a magnificent moment in history and
a great unifying moment the world shared.
More than 37 years have
passed since National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
took center stage in the worldwide drama. Yet a trip to the Kennedy
Space Center’s Apollo/Saturn V building brings the extraordinary
memory of the experience back with crystal clarity.
The Kennedy Space Center,
located on Merritt Island, Florida, is an amazing place to visit.
The Space Center and adjacent launch pads, Shuttle Landing Facility
and Vehicle Assembly Building are surrounded by the Merritt Island
National Wildlife Refuge. Blue Herons, Brown Pelicans, Southern Bald
Eagles and Snowy Egrets are just a few of the birds visible along
side of the major roadways and mangroves. It is also common to see
alligators lying in marshy stretches throughout the vicinity. If
you plan to visit the Space Complex, explore the wildlife refuge
and miles of hiking trails that loop through the area. For additional
information, go to http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland.
The Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex is the hub for fascinating exhibits, astronaut encounters,
IMAX theaters and bus tours. Of course, there are plenty of dining
options, as well as three souvenir shops that carry everything NASA.
Plan on at least two days for your visit if you want to see the entire
complex and take the bus tour.
Once past the ticket plaza,
head to the Exploration in the New Millennium building. These displays
focus on the future of space travel with remarkable interactive science
exhibits. The tour starts with replicas of the robot scouts, such
as the Cassinin Hoygens four-year mission to reach Saturn and photographically
explore its rings and clouds. A small piece of a meteorite from Mars
is displayed for guests to see.
Main Space Shuttle Engine –NASA
P
hoto By Patrice Raplee
Located in the same complex
building is the fun and offbeat Mad Mission to Mars: 2025 exhibit.
A great show for all ages, the show is a walk-through, live-action
presentation with theatrical effects taking guests on a space adventure.
Especially interesting are the five rooms that simulate the conditions
and what it’s like to live on Mars.
The IMAX Theater complex
features a new 3D presentation entitled Magnificent Desolation:
Walking on the Moon. This show is exciting; it’s the next best
thing to actually walking on the moon! The other IMAX show, Space
Station 3D, is fabulous as well, but if you only have time for
one, go for a moon walk. In addition, the IMAX complex hosts Astronaut
Encounter. Meet an astronaut and learn what it’s like to live on
Skylab and travel through space. Guests are able to ask questions
and obtain autographs from NASA astronauts after the presentation.
There are numerous exhibits
in the Space Center; however, make sure you check the bus tour schedules
before exploring the entire complex. The bus tours are lengthy and
end in the late afternoon. The tour starts with a drive out to the
Observation Gantry. The gantry has multiple levels (and an elevator
or stairs) with 360-degree views of NASA’s launch complexes. From
the south vantage point, view Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Space
Launch Complex 40 and L-Pad for the Titan Rocket. From the west,
view the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), launch Control Center and
Crawler Transporter aircraft hanger. In the middle floors of the
Gantry, one of the space shuttle main engines is suspended with great
visibility. Even on cloudy days, the gantry is an incredible place
to view NASA and take advantage of photo opps.
After leaving the Observation
Gantry, the bus tour continues past the Vehicle Assembly Building
for a close-up view and the Orbiter Processing Facilities. Now, the
best part of the tour resumes to the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Visitors
enter into a space-age antechamber and have a few minutes wait until
the doors open into the Firing Room Theater. The standing theater
room displays the actual control consoles from the Apollo missions.
Above the control consoles, a large screen comes to life with a breath-taking
recreation of an Apollo Launch! The footage is unbelievable and shows
actual footage from the launch. The emotional experience from watching
the launch leaves many guests with huge lumps in their throats; they
remember the pride of NASA’s magnificent ascension into space and
the brave astronauts who pioneered early space exploration.
Space Suit with NASA Employee – Photo By Patrice
Raplee
If the launch footage wasn’t
amazing enough, the next room displays an enormous 363-foot moon
rocket. The rocket lays on steel cradles that tower above the floor
so that visitors can view the detail. In addition, a moon rock is
mounted in a clear booth for both viewing and touching. This is probably
the closest most people will get to touching the moon. Another gripping
exhibit in the complex is the Lunar Theater, which features a presentation
that depicts the first moon landing.
Next on the tour stop is
the International Space Station Center. Huge viewing windows allow
guests to watch Space Station components as they are readied for
flight. The enormity and intricacy of assembling these components
for the Space Station, gives the viewer a renewed appreciation for
the dynamics involved in the project.
The tour bus now heads
back to the Visitor Complex and it’s time to resume your own discovery
of exhibits and future space exploration. It also reminds the visitor
that new frontiers in space are just beginning; and that the pride
Americans felt that warm July 37 years ago is at the heart of NASA
and the astronauts who continue to bravely venture into space and
beyond.
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