Kennedy Space Center

I did something I don’t normally do when I go down to Walt Disney World… I left the property to visit the Kennedy Space Center. I hadn’t been to KSC since the mid 70’s. I never made it an option or a priority. Shame on me!

I grew up with moon landings and shuttle launches. I remember the entire school gathering in the auditorium to watch the televised lunar landings. I missed being in Daytona Beach, FL by a few days in 1981 for the very first flight. I came down with bronchial pneumonia and my Mom had to delay the start of our drive down by a few days. I listened to the launch on the car radio.

It was my love of space that got me interested in model rockets. And it was my love of launching those model rockets that convinced me I needed to go to college. I am an Aerospace Engineer by degree. I might not work for NASA (which was my original dream) but I do work in the aerospace industry.

I spent six glorious hours touring the space center. I paid a little extra for the guided bus tour which stopped at various points along the route to allow us off the bus. The best part of the whole visit was getting to practically touch a shuttle! Space Shuttle Atlantis has retired to a beautiful building at Kennedy Space Center. I can tell you I just about lost it when the movie stopped and the doors opened showing the shuttle. I was frozen in awe for a few minutes. I was in space nerd heaven!

Entrance Monument

Gate with Rocket Garden

Saturn 1B w/Apollo Capsule

Saturn 1B – Business End

Mercury Capsules – Atlas & Redstone Rockets

Rocket Garden

NASA

Vehicle Assembly Building

Launch Pad 39B

Apollo/Shuttle Plaque with Launch Pad 39A

Orion Escape Rocket w/Vehicle Assembly Building

Armored Escape Vehicle with Vehicle Assembly Building

Saturn V Engines

Apollo Capsule with Saturn V Rocket

Astronaut Gene Cernan’s Apollo Spacesuit

Apollo 14 Command Module (Kitty Hawk)

Shuttle External Fuel Tank w/Boosters

Shuttle Spacesuit

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Space Shuttle Atlantis