April #6 Shenanigans

Posted by Jenny H

Now, here is what we did with the rest of our Florida trip.

We went to the Kennedy Space Center (why didn't I go when I lived there - its amazing!)

Anyway - amazing!

First - I have to laughingly record that our rental car would not let us go over 64 miles an hour. Even wth the posted speed was 70, so it was so slow driving around!

The space center - cool beans!

They have a garden but its really just extra shuttles and rockets they built and turned into displays. And they are huge and cool, and it really helps you see how big they really are and how much fuel they can really hold.

All the cockpits are open so you can climb in them, and see how small those really are.

Odds are that astronauts are not as tall as Jed, this was supposed to hold two men. Two!

This is a spare they build in case the first one got damaged.

And out kids in the spare command nodule. They kept pretending to blast off and shake themselves while it was going up into the atmosphere.

See I was really there!

The bus tour is very informative. We learned most of the area around the base and landing platforms is a nature preserve for animals, especially birds and gators. They often end up inside the buildings.

The largest doors in the world - and the were opening them as we drove by. It is a very slow process.

Best buddies!

The tour takes you to a separate building that houses rockets and such from the Apollo and Saturn V Missions. And that place is really interesting.

They suspended the Saturn V rocket apart above and around you. You walk around it and under it and see all the engineering and parts of it. It is amazing and huge! Above is the Lunar Rover used on Apollo missions.

This is an engine exposed so you can see all the wiring.

The service module separated, and all around the walls were displays, and momentos, as well as cool stuff to touch and interact with. I touched a rock from the moon!

A command module from Apollo Missions.

We loved that tour, we were so surprised at the many engineering marvels that went into the missions.

After the bus takes you back, there is the Atlantis Discovery area. Where they have displayed the spaceship Atlantis for you to see.

I cannot tell how awe inspiring it really it. The thing is massive, you walk around and see just how big each part was, what they were for, you interact with engines, and other displays.

Our kids loved the cockpit and trying to line up the ship to dock at the space station in a simulator.

There was also a playground of sorts made like the International Space Station. It had tunnels and slides, but it was mounted three floors up! It had large glass slides that allowed kids to see the floors below - scary but cool!