Click on a photo to enlarge it.
If ever you come over to Florida then you MUST go to the Kennedy Space Centre. Buy the all inclusive ticket for $35
(add on $2 for tax) which gives you access to everything for two days. We needed the two days to see everything as
there really is a lot to see and do. You could try and get around everything in 1 day but if there are two many
people there, the queues will be against you!
We got up early on Saturday and drove to the East coast to Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) and got straight onto one of
the buses that drive every 15 minutes from the visitor centre and take you to two stops - the viewing gantry and the
Apollo/Saturn V centre. We got off at the viewing gantry and had 1.5 hours to wait for the launch of the Delta rocket
taking "Swift" into space which is a satellite to measure gamma rays. It was quite windy so we weren´t sure if the
launch would take place. We also wondered why there weren´t many people there to watch!
The gantry is the best place to see the space shuttle being launched and we had a great view of the launch pad. But
the Delta rocket was being launched from a different place. We thought we knew where, until a man from NASA came up
to the gantry and explained that we couldn´t see the launch pad from here because it was 3 miles behind one of the
buildings. He pointed out which building and we all trained our videos, cameras and binoculars on it to make sure we
didn´t miss it when the rocket emerged above the building.
The 1.5 hours went quite fast and the excitement was growing. The launch was due at 12-09 and 20 minutes before they
switched the loudspeakers over to the live commentary from the launch site so that we could here what was going on.
When the countdown got to 4 minutes ("T minus 4" using the space lingo!) they stopped the countdown. As we listened
intently to the speakers we heard that this was planned anyway so that they could make a last minute check that all
the systems were functioning as they should be. The launch had already been delayed a few times and when you are
launching an expensive satellite you want to make sure that it doesn´t get incinerated before it even moves off the
ground!
After 10 minutes, the countdown resumed and by the time it got down to the last 10 seconds we all joined in with the
"10, 9, 8 ... ... 1, we have lift off". This is when everything went haywire for a few seconds. All lenses were trained
on the building, and when we heard the words "we have lift off" over the loudspeakers, none of us could see anything.
We were all shouting "Where? Where?" Finally we saw the rocket, way off to the right!! The stupid NASA guy had told
us the wrong building! The correct building was 3 buildings to the right. Consequently, we nearly missed it altogether!
The whole thing comes over best on the video, where you can hear the countdown, the shouting "Where? Where?" and then
the video gets whizzed over to the right to catch a last glimpse of what looks like a very small rocket way up in the sky!
Helen had the best view as she only had the binoculars to worry about, realised quickly where the rocket was actually
taking off from, and saw it coming up from behind the building. But the rocket certainly went a lot quicker out of range
as we had thought. The lenses on the video and cameras weren´t big enough to keep it in view for long. With the binoculars,
Helen could only see it as a small red blur in the sky only a few seconds after lift off and then the white smoke as the
boosters were ejected. Kirsten grabbed the binoculars from her and asked "Where is it, Where is it?" But of course, without
the binoculars, Helen couldn´t see it with her own eyes any more! Poor old Kirsten had only just managed to get something
on camera and video, but not much, and then when she got the binoculars she couldn´t find it!!
We were disappointed and very annoyed with the idiot who had given us all the wrong information! But at least we could say
that we were at KSC when a launch had taken place.
Rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center.
There are a lot of theatres where you can see videos and there are all kinds of presentations and exhibits showing the
history of NASA. We got back on the bus after queuing for 20 minutes and went to the other stop - the Apollo/Saturn 5 Center.
You are lead through a series of videos in various rooms (they do the same thing at Disney World - typical herding of sheep).
But its very well done. We got to see one of the original Saturn V rockets that were used to launch the Apollo space craft
into space. They are huge! The Vehicle Assembly Building was built to house them and can be seen from miles away, its so big.
The Apollo launches finished in 1977 and now the VAB is used for the assembly of the much smaller space shuttle, with its
booster and fuel rockets.
The Apollo exhibition was really interesting, whether you believe that Neil Armstrong actually did step onto the moon or that
the whole thing was staged so that the Americans could win the space race!
At first the exhibition had to wait because it was already 2-45pm by the time we got there and we were starving. So we went
straight to the restaurant for a quick burger and hot dog! After brushing up on our space history and touching a "real" moon
rock, we got back on the bus and returned to the visitor centre. We only had time to see the last viewing of one of two Imax
films, in 3D wearing our very fashionable 3D glasses!
By the time we got out of the Imax cinema it was already dark but we had time to take a few shots of the rocket garden - various
rockets on show outside. Then it was off to Walmart for the night.
On Sunday, we drove back to KSC which opens at 9am and spent most of the day at the visitor centre complex. We went to see the
second Imax film "The dream is alive" which was very good. It was filmed in the space shuttle in space by Jon McBride who we got
to meet in person at the "Meet the Astronaut" talk. He was introduced and we all clapped as he came onto the stage. Kirsten,
Andrea and Helen were half way through eating a piece of home made chocolate cake when "our" Astronaut started talking about his
experience in space and weightlessness. Unfortunately, at that point, Helen was brought back to Earth with a gravitational bump,
when she felt something warm land on her head and start running down her forehead!! An "ace shot" bird above us!! All Helen said
was "Scheisse" which is exactly what it was! Kirsten and Andrea killed themselves laughing. God knows what Mr McBride thought of
all this. Helen had to adjourn to the ladies to clean up and missed most of the talk!
At least we managed to get a photo of the three of us with a "real" astronaut!! Right afterwards we also got a photo of us with a
spaceman! The rest of the time was spent taking loads of photos of us in various space vehicles, a very good talk on the space
shuttle, and more videos and exhibits.
At 2-30pm, we drove across the bridge to the Astronaut Training Center, which is included in the ticket and spent the next 3 hours
there. Helen and Andrea experienced 4Gs seated in a small one person cubicle which was joined to a second cubicle and spun around
for 5 minutes. There was a video screen in front of you which showed a fast helicopter flight as if you were sitting in the front
of the helicopter. As you got spun around, the 4G force pushed you back into the seat and you could feel the pressure on your
chest. It did not feel as if you were being whizzed around in a circle at all. You really did feel as if you were on that
helicopter, flying dangerously through valleys, nose diving out of control and landing on a runway. Amazing!
Kirsten didn´t want to go on it so we went onto a simulator, where all three of us and a few other people sat in a small robotic
room watching a video of a moonwalker, getting thrown around as if you were on the moonwalker itself. All good clean fun.
4Gs in the G-force-simulator.
Then Kirsten decided that she wanted to go on the 4G simulator after all. So Helen went with her. Unfortunately it made her feel very
unwell. Whilst Helen was trying out a real moonwalk by being put into a harness and jumping around all over the place, poor old
Kirsten was feeling the worse for wear after her space training! So Helen took her outside to get some fresh air, and after a few
minutes she managed to recover. She certainly would never make an astronaut! Thank God that was right at the end of our 2 day tour
of KSC and not at the beginning!!
