Day 19 - Kennedy Space Center

Up at a normal time (about 7:00) this morning, and after getting ourselves cleaned up, we headed down for breakfast.  It wasn't a bad breakfast, but it wasn't great, either.  After that, back to the room, finishing packing, and then load suitcases into the car for our drive north.

We decided to go north along the coast, so back to Cocoa Beach and then turn left, we went.  It wasn't a spectacular trip, and when we got to Cape Canaveral (there was a Carnival Cruise Ship in port), we headed back inland a bit to go to the Kennedy Space Center.

Entrance to the Space Center

We arrived there at about 10:00.  Once we paid for parking and found ourselves a place to park, we walked to the entrance where we had to pay to get in.  There was quite a line-up, so it took about half an hour to get in, and then we had to figure out where we would go.  We had booked a tour to the Launch Control Center, and it went at 1:20, so we had some time.  We went into a building where an actual astronaut was going to speak.  It was Ken Cameron, and we found his talk very interesting and informative.  It was about one of his flights to repair the Hubble Telescope.  He had some great slides, and showed some of the training that astronauts have to go through prior to heading to space.

Ken Cameron - Astronaut

After that, we went over to the Imax theatre to see what the shows were.  We were just a couple minutes too late for a show, and the next one started in about 45 minutes, so we wandered around a bit, looking for where we had to gather for the tour to Launch Control.  Once we figured it out, it was back to the Imax Theatre to look at some of the displays and wait for the show.

Our problem was that the show was 45 minutes, and our tour was to leave in 50 minutes after the show started.  The lady at a concession said we could leave early, so that is what we decided to do.  When the doors opened, we found some good seats close to the exit so we wouldn't disturb people when we left.

Driver and Tour Guide

The show was about building the space station and getting ready to get the parts up there.  It was very interesting to see all the things they had to go through to to learn how to build it.  They also talked about setting up for the experiments, and why they continue to be so interested in learning about space.  We really enjoyed the show, but as it got nearer to the time for us to leave, I spent a lot of time watching my watch.  We didn't want to miss the tour because they are fairly expensive.

At Entrance to Launch Control Center

Then it was the tour.  We had a guide and a bus driver, and they took us to the Vehicle Assembly Building, which was right beside the Launch Control Centre.  Inside the building, we first stopped in the lobby to look at some of the things displayed there.  There was a large mural depicting the whole space program from the beginning to present time.  Our guide (who had grown up in the area and her dad worked at KSC for 30 years, as well as working there herself) was very knowledgeable and had a lot to tell us about the progression of the space program.

Challenger Crest - No Return Date

There was also a wall showing all the crests that had been created by crews who had gone on manned space flights.  Each of these plaques showed the launch date and the return date of the flight.  Some were both on the same day, and as they went along, some got quite a bit longer in length.  The two shuttles that didn't return also had their crests there, without their return date, and these were quite emotional to view.  We saw the plaque with the crest that Marc Garneau (Canadian) was part of the designing, and it was neat to see the Canadian Flag as part of that crest.

Marc Garneau's Crest

Director's View of the Control Center

Then it was upstairs to the Launch Control Centre to see what it looked like.  It was quite a large room, full of sections of desks with computers located in each section.  Each of the stations had a label as to what that operator's job was and what they were responsible for.  We watched a movie showing a launch that had taken place, hearing the discussion between the Director and the various sections, and then watching the launch and feeling the vibrations and noise that was heard and felt inside the room during an actual launch.

Launch Pad B

After we had finished there, we drove out to Launch Pad B, which is a pad that is no longer active, but it can be made active if there was a demand.  We also drove by a new system of launching rockets, which was a portable launch pad.  This is the one that will be used in future launches.  There is one schedule to launch in a few days, and it was already on the launch pad over by Launch Pad A, which we weren't allowed to visit.

Then, back to the displays.  On the way back, we passed a pond where a fairly large alligator was laying, and we had to stop so everyone could see.  Funny, in Canada, the tourists get all excited to see a bear or a moose, in Florida, they get all excited to see an alligator.

By this time, we were getting tired, and it was also getting close to closing time, so we decided to head out.  We drove toward Orlando, so we would be somewhat close to the airport for tomorrow.  Using the GPS, we punched in Best Western, and guessed which one to head for.  Interestingly, we ended up at the same hotel we had stayed at the last time we were here.

After our check in, we headed off to the Olive Garden for supper.  It was great, and we were full when we finished.  Back to the hotel to watch TV.  We didn't want to go to sleep too early because tomorrow was going to be a long day.  Unfortunately, it was very hard to stay awake, and both of us were in bed by 10:30, and asleep by 11:30

Tomorrow, we have to get the plane.  We fly out of here at about 6:30 pm, and will likely be at the airport around 2:00 or so.  Once we can check our bags, we will be spending some time wandering around the airport and generally taking it easy.  At least, that is the plan.