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Visit
to Kennedy Space Center, See a Space Shuttle Launch
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to See a Space Shuttle Launch - Better Hurry, Only Five Missions to Go
Visit to Kennedy Space Center, See a
Space Shuttle Launch by Kirby Collins
Recently
we spent the day revisiting the Kennedy Space Center. Now having lived in
Florida for over 20 years I've been to the Kennedy Space Center a few
times, not too many but a few.
One of
my fondest memories of a trip to the Space Center is the first time I
ever tasted Space Dots, they're called Dippin Dots in the rest of the
world but here on Kennedy that's the name they go by, tho' it can't the
only place. I think the first flavor I had was mint chocolate, it was
very good. They have been dubbed the "Coldest ice cream of the
word" because they are made using Cryogenic technology, think people
freezing themselves to be thawed at a later date, they come out of this
process extremely frozen and pearl shaped, which makes for a lump in your
mouth as they melt there. I've since found out that Space dots technology
comes from India and that this style of ice cream is only available in
select countries so if you ever get a chance to taste this unique twist
on ice cream, treat yourself its quite an experience.
When
you come to visitor the historical site at the Kennedy Space Center
Visitors Complex there are three guided tours you can take, you can also
wander around a your leisure. I recommend you do both take one of the
tours and then walk around on your own. But if you're wondering how to
visit Kennedy Space Center? The first tour choice is the NASA Up-Close tour
here you get the chance to tour NASA's launch and landing facilities. As
you tour you'll find out where the space shuttle is assembled and
launched, see how it lands and see where the astronaut crews prepare and
train. This guided tour takes you through NASA's Space Shuttle program.
I've been on the beach as a shuttle is launching and it's spectacular,
what's really great is that after you've taken the NASA Up-Close tour
you've seen and really appreciate just how much goes go into get one of
those things off the ground and back again.
The
next tour, the only free one, is the Kennedy Space Center Tour. You get
to tour the International Space Station Center, LC 39 Observation Gantry,
and the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Keep in mind when you make plans to go to
visit the Kennedy Space Center that it is a working space launch
facility, check tour schedules to make sure they are running, sometimes
they get changed due to 'operational requirements'.
 
Dawn
breaks behind ASTP Saturn IB CDDT Photograph - Cape Canaveral, FL
Buy
at AllPosters.com
The
last is a guided tour the NASA and Cape Canaveral: Then & Now, as the
name suggests, is a look back at the glory days of the Mercury, Gemini
and Apollo programs. You get to see the Apollo Launch Pad 34, which was
the site of the tragic Apollo 1 fire. You also get to relive the launch
of America's first satellite when you tour the Air Force Space &
Missile Museum and see where Alan Shepard lifted off on America's first
human spaceflight.
At the
Space Center you can walk around outside at your leisure and see the
rockets on display, they call it the rocket garden which is pretty funny
considering how tall these things are. Now when I say you get to tour
them I mean you can crawl into some of them and take a picture, believe
me I have more that a few shots of me hanging out of one space capsule or
another.
Columbia
was the first Space Shuttle mission and it took off on April 12, 1981.
The Kennedy Space Center's two launch pads and there have been over 100
launches from them. Having lived on the space coast since the first
shuttled you'd think I'd be over it by now and not care any more but I'll
tell you when they launch a shuttle the Space Coast stops, people pull
over on bridges, come out of office buildings and vacate stores and
that's just the Cape Canaveral locals. Finally thanks to the Shuttle
Launch Experience now open at the Kennedy Space Center we get a chance to
feel what it's like to be on one of those bad boys and let me just say,
it's thrilling. The countdown starts the fuel ignites, the seats shake
and off we go, this is a 'must do' when you visit.
Another
spectacular thing at the Space Center is their fabulous IMAX movie
theater. Two five-story screens and realistic 3-D special effects make
spaceflight come alive. They have actual footage shot by astronauts
during actual missions, I've seen several movies there and you do feel
like you could reach out and touch whatever it is you're watching. They
change the movies out so even if you visit more than once it's doubtful
you'll see the same one twice.
They
also have interactive simulators that make it all feel real too and the
Astronaut Training Experience let's you spend a day or a half day going
through the training an actual Astronaut would endure; this is a special
favorite of the kids, but the whole family can do it together.
They
are always having special ceremonies there or dedicating something, no
matter if there is something special going on or not do yourself a favor
if you ever even get close to the Space Coast make plans to come see the
Kennedy Space Center. I've been there half a dozen times and can't wait
to go back, it's like watching a favorite movie for the umpteenth time,
you always see something you didn't see before.
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