On Thursday, we spent the day at Kennedy Space Center. It was a full day with so much to see.
Everywhere, there are tributes to the original seven astronauts.
We boarded a bus that took us on a tour of the launch pads.
This is the assembly building. It's no longer the world's largest assembly building but it is the world's largest one-story assembly building. This is where the shuttles and rockets were joined together atop one of the crawlers that would bring the whole assembly to the launch pad.
Here is a launch pad used by Spacex to launch satellites into orbit.
This is the external solid fuel rockets and external fuel tank used to lift the shuttle into orbit. The fuel tank would go from full to empty in a matter of seconds. The rockets were retrieved to be used again and the tank would burn up upon re-entry.
This is the control station for the shuttle arm.
Here is a T38 jet used by astronauts for training and transportation.
Vickie can't pass up an opportunity to stick her head in one of these.
Stage one.
Stage two engines.
Stage three.
The Lunar Module (LEM) that was tucked into the rocket behind the command module.
These rockets sitting under a beautiful blue sky invokes a deep sense of pride in American ingenuity.
Everywhere, there are tributes to the original seven astronauts.
We boarded a bus that took us on a tour of the launch pads.
This is the assembly building. It's no longer the world's largest assembly building but it is the world's largest one-story assembly building. This is where the shuttles and rockets were joined together atop one of the crawlers that would bring the whole assembly to the launch pad.
This eagle is among the wildlife we encountered along the path. Alligators are abundant here but I couldn't get a photo.
This is one of the two crawlers that transport the rockets to the pads for launch.
Here is a launch pad used by Spacex to launch satellites into orbit.
This is the external solid fuel rockets and external fuel tank used to lift the shuttle into orbit. The fuel tank would go from full to empty in a matter of seconds. The rockets were retrieved to be used again and the tank would burn up upon re-entry.
The shuttle Atlantis is on display here. You walk between the rockets to enter the building.
Atlantis made 35 flights into space to work on a variety of satellites including the Hubble telescope and the International Space Station.
This is the control station for the shuttle arm.
Here is a T38 jet used by astronauts for training and transportation.
Vickie can't pass up an opportunity to stick her head in one of these.
There is a Saturn 5 rocket on display. It's suspended horizontally overhead and separated into stages so you can get a feeling of the size.
The five main rocket engines of the first stage.
Stage two engines.
Stage three.
The Lunar Module (LEM) that was tucked into the rocket behind the command module.
There was so much to absorb and so many more things that we saw. We arrived at the visitors center at 9 AM and left at 6 PM. We stayed in the parking lot, tailgating because there was going to be a launch at around 7:40 PM of a rocket taking communication satellites into orbit. After an hours delay, the launch was scrubbed so we headed out. We left the campground at 7 AM and got back at 10:30 PM. A long day but a terrific experience.
That's on our bucket list. We've done Houston and Huntsville, but nothing like what you saw.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool place. We knew you would love it. Great pics and blog. The last time we were there we waited for a long time waiting to see a launch that was then cancelled.... but it was fun and exciting waiting just the same!
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