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I have wanted to visit the Kennedy Space Center, well,
since pretty much as long as I can remember. I was born in the midst
of the Space Race, and remember Apollo launches. They all blend together
in my mind (I was 6 when the last launch occurred), but I remember them.
I also remember asking a parental figure (probably my mom) why we
couldn't go there and watch. Well, it seemed Florida was a world away
from my early life in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and so it was just
too far to drive. That was over 30 years ago now, and somehow the world
has become a lot smaller to me. Besides, in May 2003 I lived in Gainesville
Florida, so KSC was only a 2.5 hour drive away! I finally got to go!
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My road trip buddy
for the day was Jessica. She's a colleague and research group collaborator.
If you plan a trip to KSC, I have one valuable tip.
Plan on spending two complete days there. We made the mistake
of driving down and back in the same day, which left us only about 5 hours
to tour everything. We missed a lot! Plus admission to KSC also
gives access to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, which we didn't see at all.
The following are pictures of some of the things we
did see. Unfortunately, many things at KSC are just too big to fit in a picture
frame. So I don't have as many pictures as from other road trips.
Enjoy!
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This is the Vertical Assembly Building as seen
from about 2 blocks away. Its the building in which the Space Shuttles
are mounted together with the external tank and the solid rocket boosters.
It is also the building in which the Saturn V (Apollo rockets) were
put together vertically! Surprisingly, compared to many skyscrapers,
it didn't seem as big in person as I expected it would. However, we
didn't have a chance to go inside. Maybe that's where its the most
impressive. After all, how many sky scrapers are hollow on the inside?
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This is the VAB as seen from the observation gantry's third
story. I don't know the exact distance but its something like 2 miles. Note
how flat KSC is! The water in the left corner is sea level, so global
warming will have a significant impact on the American space program if sea
level rises as little as 10 feet...
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In the center of this image is Launch Pad 39B,
one of the pads that the Space Shuttle launches from. This photo is
also taken from the third story of the observation gantry. Unlike the
other images, if you click on this one you'll get a zoom (10x) on the launch
pad.
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Launch Pad 39A,
the other pad the Space Shuttle launches from. I only have the zoom
for this one.
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A spent main engine from a Space Shuttle, the
most complex engine ever designed. The photo doesn't begin to show how
complex it is.
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The business end of the first stage of a Saturn
V. Each of the cones is about 6 feet in diameter!
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Jess demonstrates
the scale of the Saturn V! She is standing right under the midline.
This is not a trick photo.
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Lunar
Command Module
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View
from the VIP launch viewing bleachers. Pads 39A & B are visible.
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A zoom in on Pad 39B. No Space Shuttles today. :-(
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Alas, all of the rockets from the Space Race
are now tethered up in the museum court yard. KSC is a great place
to visit, but while I was there I couldn't help imaging how awesome it must
have been in the 1960s, when we (the entire human race) were still dreaming
of what was possible rather than arguing over how much we should be spending
to make new things possible.
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