And Reaching for the Skies!

Our last full day in Florida was TaGeez's choice, and we headed off to Kennedy Space Center. The original adventure game - space exploration! We arrived bright and early...

 

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Check out the matching shirts!

... and spent the entire day exploring the entire complex!

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

WOW! So big! And this was from a distance! Luckily being so early in the new school year but right after the holiday meant few visitors and school groups. 

Entrance and Rocket Garden

Rocket Garden

Our entry tickets pretty much covered every exhibit - we didn't miss a thing. We even explored Heroes and Legends twice.

Heroes and Legends Exhibit

Heroes and Legends

Really cool is the shuttle bus to the Apollo/Saturn 5 Complex. Sitting in air-conditioned luxury and watching a cool video, we passed both the Vehicle Assembly Building and the crawler-transporter. We also passed wildlife, giant turtles, and the famed Eagles nest.

This picture doesn't do the scale of the VAB justice. Fun facts from the NASA website: 

• The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, is the only facility where assembly of a rocket occurred that carried humans beyond low-Earth orbit and on to the Moon. For 30 years, it also served as the final assembly point for space shuttles to external fuel tanks and solid rocket boosters.
• One of the largest buildings in the world by area, the VAB covers eight acres, is 525 feet tall and 518 feet wide.
• The VAB high bay doors are the largest in the world at 456 feet high and take about 45 minutes to completely open or close.
• The building is home to the largest American flag, a 209-foot-tall, 110-foot-wide star spangled banner painted on the side of the VAB.

Vehicle Assembly Building

And just as cool were the two crawler-transporters parked next door. More than 50 years old, "The crawler-transporters carry vehicles on the mobile launcher platforms used by NASA, and after each launch return to the pad to take the platform back to the VAB."

Another fun fact: "The crawler is the size of a baseball infield. The crawler's top speed is one mile per hour loaded and two miles per hour unloaded."

crawler-transporter

The Apollo/Saturn 5 was worth spending half a day!

Apollo/Saturn 5 Center

Apollo/Saturn 5 Complex - Moon Tree Garden

Most exhibits start with a video. This simulation for launch was real-time. Seeing all the systems activate at their proper time - how did they do this back then? 

Apollo 8 and the Firing Room

Saturn 5 Rocket

Fisher Space Pen Exhibit

Apollo Treasures Gallery

Back on the bus to the Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. Again, it started with a video and, at the end, when the video ended, the screen went semi-transparent and this beauty became visible through the fabric. It was magical!

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Solid Rocket Boosters for the Shuttles

Lovely day coming to an end. Between the walking and the heat, time for another quick stop at the Heroes & Legends exhibit (and, of course, the gift shop) as we exited the park.

Heroes and Legends Exhibit

It was an amazing day! We were a little surprised that KSC did not have a virtual or an adventure lab, but we found those in nearby Port Canaveral and a webcam to boot!

Pt. Canaveral Webcam Cache GCJT79

Let's wrap our last day in Florida with a coastal drive south to Cocoa Beach and Mexican for dinner. 

Cocoa Beach