by Bonnie and Bill Neely
As we drove on a beautiful sunshine skyway across vast waters heading toward the Atlantic Ocean about 30 minutes from Orlando, Florida, I recalled a special memory from my elementary days when my Daddy thrillingly drove across a similar new construction, which he said was the first of its kind…It felt like we were driving across the top of the vast Atlantic!
Some experiences are still thrilling for senior citizens, and we happily anticipated this day, which has for years been our favorite “theme park” experience. We watched for birds and land animals as we traversed Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and arrived (just after sunrise) at #KennedySpaceCenter Visitor Complex.
There is so much to see and do before closing time at 5:00 PM, it is important first to take time to read the Daily Schedule, handed to you as you pass through the entrance. Familiarize yourself with the GATEWAY brochure (and map within) so you can experience the activities and interactive events most important to you and your family. There are many wonderful events for adults and also to inspire and thrill the little future astronauts with you. Although we knew we would walk many miles through this beautiful complex, we saw that we could alternate walking tours with seated events so as not to tire. We saw several people in wheelchairs who were enjoying the day on the flat paved surfaces throughout, but we don’t recommend the adventure for people with walking challenges.
We were glad we had arrived before the gates opened at 9:00 AM because there were already over a hundred excited tourists in line for the day of happily exploring Space to learn about the wonders of over a half-century of inventions of bold scientists and brave men and women who pioneered the vast unknown above us to go where no one had ever been. Now, unbelievably there are companies inviting wealthy tourists to actually go into space to really experience weightlessness and see our planet from the dark unknown.
We began our day’s adventure in the Rocket Garden, where a guide told us the exciting history of the nine actual rockets now retired and resting there in peace. A Space X launch was to be just after midnight that night, but we would not be able to stay to watch. We were told to set our alarm clocks and look eastward to see the bright and powerful fires of the rocket’s blast-off. Launches occur fairly often by these private companies, and you can find the anticipated schedule and how to buy tickets to be present, although the weather and atmospheric conditions must be just right for the rocket send-off, so the schedule is tentative and frequently postponed, as was the one for tonight.
In Heroes and Legends Building we paused to appreciate and honor many brave pioneer astronauts and the people who made space exploration possible as we watched an historic cyclorama video presentation in this U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Next we chose to see the IMAX film of thrilling actual footage of what astronauts have seen in space. The huge screen, inspiring music and fascinating script make this a peak experience in this amazing Complex. Inside the theater is the marque with various film names and times.
On our visit here about a decade ago we had the thrill of feeling weightlessness and wearing bulky gloves to simulate being outside our spaceship and floating around while we attempted to place and tighten a screw to repair the space ship. It was so impossibly difficult and many, many laughs to feel a bit of what we instantly appreciated the astronauts must be brave enough to do!
On this visit to KSC we had another unbelievably fun adult hands-on space experience. After being assured that the Virtual Reality goggles are sanitized after each person, we agreed to have a set placed on our heads. We were immediately in space and watching other participants in space suits near us. It was so much fun to see our hands enclosed in bulky space gloves as we placed them on triggers to help us mine by laser some valuable space rocks that would fuel our spaceship. As our bodies shook when our rocket was launched and the views of the moon surface appeared I had to remind myself, “There is no need to be fearful. This is just a reality video. Nothing will harm me!” But it seemed SO REAL!!! Our scores were increased every time we shot a blue rock and were diminished if we shot a red one. We were competing against the other three astronauts on our section of the moon platform! I did not win, but WHAT FUN and a great way to feel like an astronaut!
In the Matter-of-Fact Live Kids Shows and fully immersive Planet Play experiences kids are thrilled and Moms and Dads too. The presentations and interactive modules and games capture anyone’s attention for fun and learning. The stated purpose is to intrigue young minds and help children determine their goals for the future while creating memorable experiences now. Throughout the Complex are videos of youngsters telling of their dreams to become astronauts and work in the Space Industry as scientists or engineers or inventors. Some of these youngsters will have ideas and imaginative minds which will solve space problems and create new instruments and products for the future of space travels and maybe even make space journeys as common as cell phones today! Yes, SOMEONE had to dream up what is already here, and those dreams and ideas begin often in young, fertile minds.
Next on our choice agenda was to take the pleasant 15-minute bus tour farther into the Complex to enjoy the Apollo/Saturn V Center. On the way out we watched the informative video about all things Space. At the A/S center we were enthralled for hours! We were sadly reminded that the first American Rocket had a chimpanzee aboard, and after that safe return Apollo 1 was prepared to blast off with three men crew: Edward White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee. Tragically the Apollo 1 burst into flames while on the preflight test at Cape Canaveral and the crew were killed before the module could be opened within five minutes. It was years before NASA felt certain another Apollo attempt would be safely successful.
Since we are now seniors we had lived through this dramatic period in American history during the Cold War rush to beat Russia, which had the first successful satellite, Sputnik already in orbit. The US was desperate to have the first man in space. We were so happy to see the huge screen film of the actual Apollo 8 launch with three astronauts who were trained as test pilots. After making the historic orbit all the way around, they were returned safely to earth. We saw also filmed footage of the Apollo 11 Moon landing on the moon, which we had watched live in 1969 on TV as viewers around the world held their breaths. Michael Collins was the command module pilot, and we saw the very small module the men stayed in for days. In this film we even saw the Houston Control Room at NASA as the landing went off schedule and computer communication failed, and the engineers held their breaths to hear if Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong would be able to overcome the computer error and land safely so that the equipment could still return them to earth. The two voices can still be heard as they announce in the last tricky and dreadful seconds, “The Eagle has landed!” and the WORLD CHEERED! A few minutes later, Armstrong takes the exciting step as he leaves the Eagle ladder and touches the surface of the Moon and almost whispers in awe the famous words: “One small step for Man; one Giant step for Mankind!” Most of our audience almost teared up as we heard those words and watched the amazing actual film footage of the first men on the moon, who planted the American flag there.
We stopped at the food stand for a very tasty lunch of familiar choices of sandwiches, beverages, chips, candy, etc. It was a thrill to eat at a picnic table beneath the actual and ENORMOUS Saturn V rocket! After lunch we were impressed with the “live” hologram of actual deceased astronauts who told us about their experiences in space. We could press a button to ask a question and the hologram answered. This was living SCIENCE FICTION!!!!
On the return bus trip our driver pointed out the launch pads in the distance and the large terrapin beside the road. The competent driver is a wildlife specialist and says one of her dependable friends on her daily drives in this Merrit Island Wildlife Refuge is the friendly alligator who greets her “with a toothy smile” each day. She reminded us that the Delaware North Company, which now manages the Kennedy Space Center Complex for NASA is mindful of treading gently on this land in which our government protects wildlife, and the birds and animals seem to know and trust this.
On our return we ventured into the exciting MARS area where we learned from many exhibits the NOW and FUTURE of Space Industry and of our possible survival if we continue to devastate our planet home through risks we already know we should rectify. The large solar farm near the entrance to the Complex and the signs in many places reminding us all to recycle keep us aware.
We loved seeing the actual Rover and Inspiration and being educated about the knowledge we have already gained about the Red Planet. Having seen earlier in this wonder-filled day the video of Deep Space with amazing images captured daily by the enormous James Webb Space Telescope
we could visualize the actual scientific birth of the Universe from the Big Bang forward and the birth and death of stars. It impressed us that planets and stars can actually die. I think it made each person more conscious of doing what we can not to abuse our precious blue planet. We are so glad tax dollars do not go for the Kennedy Space Center operations and buildings now but are supported by our tickets, which are worth more than we each pay for this unforgettable day. And we learned that if you, like many visitors, feel one full day at KSC is not enough, you can purchase an extra day for just $15 before you leave the park!
NOTE: We hope you will also order our travel book: Real Ventures: Did We Really Do That?!! by Bonnie Burgess Neely. With five stars everywhere online (AmazonBooks; Barnes&Noble; Google;ITunes and wherever books are sold) our true travel stories will give you MANY LAUGHS and some GASPS of things that happened to us as we drove mileage equivalent to 3 trips to the moon or around the earth’s equator 25 times, taking in 9 countries including all over the USA, Canada, and Central America. Give yourself and loved ones this gift of fun leisure time reading!
IF YOU GO: https://www.spacex.com, https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V, hologram, Merrit Island Wildlife Refuge, James Webb Space Telescope
Real Travel Adventures 