Nasa, Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral

Whew, we just spent 16 days in Titusville, Florida.  Titusville has tons of things to do if your a nature lover and a space geek.  We had not originally planned on spending so long there, but one of the two satellite launches was delayed until 1-30-15 so we had to spend more time so we could watch the launch.

Tickets to Kennedy Space Center are $50.00 per day with $10.00 parking.  Or you can purchase an annual pass for $89.00 which provides free parking, 20% off food and 10% off merchandise.  We purchased one annual pass and one multi day pass for $75.00.  We used the heck out those passes as we went just about every day.  We saw every item on display, went on several of the tours, and enjoyed those imax movies about the International Space Station and Hubble.  It is hard to wrap your head what we did in the 50s and 60's to get us on the moon.  

After the Shuttle program ended, the surrounding towns took a hit and it is very evident in Titusville.  There are lots of abandoned buildings, for sale and for lease signs are everywhere.  The town went through something similar at the end of the Apollo program.  There is a light coming however as NASA teams up with civilian contractors to once again get us into space.  There really are plans in place to get us back to the Moon, Mars and even landing on an asteroid to see if we can give it a push out of the way.  Amazing stuff.  I can't wait to watch the new Space Launch System blast off with test capsules.  The word is they will be 2.5 times the thrust of the Shuttle which was over 6 million pounds of thrust to get it into space.  Wow!

A model of the SLS

The proposed Orion capsule that will take us to Mars

We learned all about the Shuttle program from 4 very experienced docents whom all worked on the shuttles.  The most fascinating for me was the use of thermal blankets hand sewn onto the shuttle in place of 7,000 tiles.  Yes, just like a quilt.  These blankets are about 1 to 2 inches thick with silica based 'batting' in between quilted layers of thermal fabric.  There are huge round rings of these blankets hand sewn onto the base of the engines for noise suppression.  I was amazed and never imaged fabric could fly into space.  The wings are made of a fuzzy felt.  Yes, felt.  I know it's a little funny, that all I can really remember in detail about the shuttle was not the amazing power at liftoff and the fact that it goes 17,500 miles per hour and links up to the ISS which is also going 17,500 miles per hour, but that seamstresses worked on this incredible ship.

The Shuttle Atlantis with it's bay doors open

The NASA meatball on the fuzzy wing

The robotic arm that does a lot of the work

This is what replaced 7,000 tiles.  The round pieces go around the thrusters

While we were there, they had astronauts come each day and talk about their missions.  We were lucky enough to hear Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden talk about his mission.  Afterwards he signed his book, "Falling to Earth".  It was a well written. good read about his mission, how he got there, and the aftereffects of a first day cover scandal that changed his life.  We asked if he would record a little shout out to our daughters classroom and he was happy to oblige.  We were also able to have shuttle astronauts Wendy Lawrence and Barbara Morgan (the first teacher in space) to do one also.

Apollo 15 crew

Al Worden

Barbara Morgan

Wendy Lawrence

The docents that worked on the shuttle each did a video for the students detailing what they did on the shuttle.  A big thank you to Jean, Gloria, Brad and Terry for getting these fifth graders excited about going to space!

Terry and Brad doing his live podcast

One of the highlights of our time there was the Atlas rocket launch on January 20, 2015 which we watched from the Saturn V bleachers across the Banana River.  It was way too cool!  The winds kept changing so the launch was delayed for 5 minutes at a time for over 30 minutes.  The anticipation was building and when the go commands were given and the countdown started at 10, it was so cool to be there.  Afterwards, our driver let us know that this little rocket was like a bottle rocket compared to the shuttle.  The launches of the SLS will be 2.5x bigger, so you know I am making the trip across country again just for that!

We have liftoff!

We took the Then and Now tour that takes you over to Cape Canaveral Air Station where the original Mercury/Gemini/Apollo launches were done.  The incredible part was Launch Pad 5 where Alan Shepard sat atop a redstone rocket for hours then bam! into the earth's atmosphere then back down into the ocean.  This whole flight lasted 15 minutes.  We also stopped at the Lighthouse, the pads where John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper launched from for their trips around the Earth.  Launch Pad 34 was closed as it was the anniversary of the loss of Apollo 1.  Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, and Ed White lost their lives as a fire ignited inside the capsule and the hatch would not open during preflight testing.  The families were there and NASA was doing a memorial ceremony.

The control room for Alan Shepard

The capsule and rocket on the launchpad from the control room

A monument to the Mercury 7

Launch Pad 34

We just missed the memorial service for Challenger, Columbia and Apollo 1 on the 28th of January.  The flag was at half mast and wreaths were placed at the Mirror Memorial at KSC.  I think the Challenger event is one where we all remember where we were when we saw it occur.  I was at work conducting training and we watched the coverage.  It was our 1 month anniversary.  Very sad.  We did do a brief stop on our Cape tour near the underground silo where the Challenger parts were placed.  The Columbia loss was the beginning of the end of the Shuttle program as it brought to light the fragile nature of space flight.  We had begun to think that these cargo ships were ordinary, when nothing is farther from the truth.  By 2011 the program was finished and we now get our supplies and astronauts to the ISS by the Russians.  Just my opinion, but not the best plan as political agendas change.

The monument

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is owned by NASA and is a 35 mile long barrier island that protects over 500 species of wildlife and 1000 species of plants.  Your America the Beautiful Pass works here otherwise it is $5.00 for the days pass.  Here they have a Visitors Center with educational programs covering Florida's wildlife and birds.  We attended programs on the Florida Panther and Alligator.  We took several drives along the wetlands and did a couple of trails.  The Canaveral National Seashore is easily accessed and there are several parking lots.  At the end of the beach road there is Weather Station 45, which was featured in the HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon".  Also at the end of the road, we have heard there is a clothing optional beach, but we did not venture over the dunes to verify.

I love Pelicans

The Canaveral Seashore

weather station 45

An armadillo looks for yums

The view out our windshield at Willow Lakes RV resort

A flock of Pelicans

These are endangered Wood Storks

Five lazy alligators lounging in the sunshine

A Roseate Spoonbill

Eric's cousin John and his wife Kim came over for a Sunday afternoon and we went to Playalinda Brewing in old Titusville.  We tried their crafts brews and each had flights of six different brews.  They were all very good!  They don't serve food, but have a binder of take out menus from nearby restaurants that deliver.  What a great idea.  We had yummy pizza and beer and had a great time visiting.

Our time in Florida has come to a close and we are starting our westward trek to our summer spot in Oregon.  We have a long way to go and several stops along the way before we get there.  Our travels are not yet complete and I keep finding places to go on our next trip around this great country.  Some places I can't wait to visit again and some were just perfect the first time.  We are staying in the Gulf area until after Mardi Gras.  Eric is visiting with the officers he worked with during Katrina's aftermath.  As we drive down 90 and Beach Blvd, we are amazed at what has been razed and other buildings that have been rebuilt bigger.  It is good for me to compare his photos from 2005 and see what the area is like today.   I can't wait to see the area and hear about all the changes brought about by Katrina.