Kennedy Space Center

Today we visited the Kennedy Space Center.  We didn't really know what to expect, or how long the kids would be entertained, but we thought we could last a couple of hours at least.  We ended up being there until closing time and enjoyed an amazing experience!

We started in the "Rocket Garden" which highlighted many of the missions by NASA astronauts.

Jack was looking for any Titan rockets which he worked
on while working for Martin-Marietta in the 1990s.

Sitting in a Mercury capsule that carried Alan Shepard into
space, the 1st American to travel to space in 1961.



The actual walkway used by the crew of Apollo 11 to board their
capsule before they became the first men to land on the moon.

Preparing to land on the moon in an Apollo capsule.

This capsule held 2 astronauts for a 14-day space mission. The space
was so small, that neither man was able to stretch his legs during
the entire mission! Not a problem for these 2 astronauts.

A little more difficult to stretch for us.

The International Space Station mural with flags representing
the 14 countries who man and use the Space Station.

We used computer programs to try our hand at landing on the moon, docking at the space station, walking on the moon, and controlling a Mars Rover. And we had some funny photo ops!

My Crew!

Zoee in space

Laura on the moon

Owyn in space

After exploring the Rocket Garden and some interactive exhibits, we moved on to the large building dedicated to the space shuttle program.  We watched a short video that explained the 30-year Space Shuttle Program from its origins to its retirement.  The project started in 1969 with an idea by one man presented to a group of engineers, and Columbia became the first shuttle to launch into space in 1981.  As we watched the on-screen shuttle return to Earth and land on a runway, I have to admit that I became teary-eyed.  What an amazing accomplishment that started with one man's idea and a dedicated team's trials and errors for 13 years! As the video ended, a screen went up and we thought that we were looking at a projected image of the shuttle, but really the screen was a giant door being lifted to reveal the actual Space Shuttle Atlantis which was housed at the space center in 2013 following its final mission.



Jack and I were both awe-struck to see the shuttle up close, suspended to resemble how it looks when docked at the International Space Station.  The Space Shuttle Program and opening of the International Space Station will be remembered as two highly significant historical events from our generation, and I find it thrilling that NASA was able to capture its significance in this exhibit. 

The Hubble Telescope

Flying the shuttle (a display, not the actual hanging shuttle!)

Crawling through a simulation of the International Space Station

There was another level with many hands-on exhibits under the shuttle, and a fun way to get down to that level...a giant slide!!

Owyn liked lying back to make himself go faster!

The slide was meant to simulate the shuttle's dramatic change in flying level as it re-enters Earth.  It comes in steep and then quickly levels off, drops landing gear, and lands on a runway like a jet.  

Zoee wasn't so sure about going on this slide, but she decided
to try it after watching Owyn and Jack go about 5 times!

Then she loved it and we couldn't get her off it!

We finally drug ourselves out of the shuttle exhibit near closing time, and let the kids play in the outdoor play structure for the final 10-minutes.

I think this will be remembered as one of the coolest things we have done on a vacation.  It is not a cheap experience, but I do see us returning to the Kennedy Space Center again someday when Owyn and Zoee are older and will want to learn more about the role of NASA and space exploration in our history.  We all really enjoyed the day as we learned a few new things about space.