Monday, April 13, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge - Kennedy Space Center

Since I grew up close by, and my father was a space junky, we went to every launch, including the first one in 1961. We watched from the top of our car parked on the side of the road, like a ton of other people. Later, there were bleachers set up where we could go and watch without having to pay or having anyone tell us where to sit. It was amazing to be there, to hear the roar, even from so far away, and though I didn’t appreciate at the time that history was being made, I did understand the excitement and happiness my father had at those times, because I shared it. I think that’s why Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors. He had a gift for touching that place inside me that dreamed of the stars…

Ticket booth! Welcome...says the astronaut on top

Memorial with our French cousin Isabelle who just had to visit the Space Center



The Rocket Garden

The Space Center now is full of fun things to see and do. My husband said the BEST part is the Shuttle Launch Experience, a simulator. He and a young French friend of ours, Gael, did it and came out exclaiming. Worth the whole visit, they said, so don’t miss it if you go to the center. Otherwise, there is the IMAX theatre, which has two films showing, lunch with an astronaut. I met one while we were there once, The Rocket Garden, the Exploration Space center, the Astronaut Encounter, Hall of Fame, Memorial, Children’s Play Dome, and History of Space Exploration. Then there is the Astronaut Training Experience. Go on! See if you have the “Right Stuff,” during a half day, hands-on training session.


Gael after his turn in the simulator
 Talk about going from one extreme to another, if you drive north on the island from the Space Center, you’ll end up on Cape Canaveral National Seashore, a barrier island where you can picnic, swim, fish and enjoy the “wild” and natural scenery without condos and hotels to mar the view. The drive is much nicer than going back inland. If you’re lucky you might even see dolphins!


"Miles from nowhere, guess I'll take my time..."

My Dad would have loved fishing here.

Though this is a land tortoise, sea turtles do come ashore on this seashore to leave their eggs...



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"Miles from Nowhere lyrics:" Cat Stevens

22 comments:

  1. I love KSC. It's a place we have to visit every time we go to Florida. I haven't yet seen a launch, but my son sometimes sees the trace of a launch from his home in Deltona.

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  2. Hi Lisa - I can quite see the lure of the Space Centre for many .. I'd be happy to visit once and I loved hearing your take on going to watch the launches ...but I'd be very happy visiting the barrier island and enjoy nature at its best with the occasional roars from ''behind' ... lovely photos .. cheers Hilary

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  3. If I could visit Kennedy Space Center, I would be excited.
    Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos.
    I also like Ray Bradbury.

    Letters from the Land of Cherry Blossoms

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  4. Anonymous4:43 AM

    Oh wow it must have been amazing to see those launches in person!
    And I'm with you, Bradbury is also one of my favourite writers. I recently read Something Wicked This Way Comes - the entire novel is so beautiful it's like poetry.

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  5. I've been there :D I loved the Kennedy Space Center. Our school had an experiment going up on the Shuttle so we had a special tour of KSC and got to watch the launch from Banana Beach - it was awesome.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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  6. Nice, Lisa. I'd love the seashore.

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  7. Lucky you, I would love to have seen a launching. Never did make it to the Space Center. I do so wish it was still in operation.

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  8. That must've been amazing to see all those launches.
    I get motion sickness, so afraid I'll have to pass on the simulated shuttle launch.

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  9. The Kennedy Space Center is a neat place to go to. I went there a couple of times as a kid. I really should go again, and bring my nephews.

    I have a gopher turtle living under my porch. :)

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  10. Oh man, I would love to see the Space Centre one day. My son and I love going to the Aviation Museum here in Ottawa, and the space section is the best part. The Kennedy Centre is on a whole other level. Maybe if we ever get back to Disney World we'll have to take a day or two to go see it...

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  11. I would love to go there and see all that. It must have been so exciting to see the launches as a child.

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  12. I haven't been there in years. We took our son when he was in grade school and it was the best experience.

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  13. I haven't been to the Kennedy Space Center. When I lived in Houston, we had the Johnson Space Center, and it really grew and evolved over the years. It was a lot of fun.

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  14. Anonymous2:38 PM

    a wise choice.
    wow.

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  15. It sounds like you had wonderful experiences with your dad and family. This does sound like it would be fun to go to

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  16. I've been to Florida but sadly ran out of time to get to Kennedy Space Centre. Maybe one day.

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  17. I've never thought about visiting this place, but now I want to. How awesome! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

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  18. I was there back in 2002. If I remember correctly, a rocket was supposed to be launched the day I was there, but it got called off at the last minute. That would have been cool to see one live. Nice place to visit.

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  19. This totally rules. If I go anywhere in Florida, it must be this. FIRST! :)

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  20. Thank you for sharing. Your picture are awesome. I've always wanted to watch a launch. I think the power that is displayed must be incredible. The proximity of the beach is a bonus!

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  21. Kan't believe I missed K !!

    Oh boy, KSC... we lived in Viera (Rockledge side) for three years, so got to see a bunch of launches... but my favorite was the first ever... I got the ladder out... jumped on the (HOT) roof... forgot to turn the radio on... back down... radio on (LOUD) back up on the roof.... countdown gets to 23, 22, 21, 20, 19.... and from KSC, I see the Orbiter take off and I was like... OMG... OMG... it's taken off too early!!!

    Until I realized the AM station took phone calls and in case a caller cursed, they used a 20-second time delay...

    True story.

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  22. This is a place I do want to visit. Space fascinates me. Thanks for sharing
    Suzy - K for Kingship

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