Kennedy Space Centre

One of our last days with Uncle Ernie and Aunt Lynda was spent at one of our favourite places.  Only about an hour and a half away from the villa..........

....... is the Kennedy Space Centre - the hub of NASA's space program.  Uncle Ernie had his camera out and clicking before we even reached the main entrance.  You can see the fuel rockets which would have been attached to the shuttle in the background.  There is so much to do here, and so much to see - we only saw the most important things.

We passed through the rocket garden where the Gemini and Apollo versions are on display - the Apollo is the large one in the background.  Aunt Lynda.....

........ went over to get a closer view of the landing module, but there were already some tourist sitting inside, so we didn't linger....

.......... we passed by this tribute to the 35th President of the United States of America who was largely responsible for the initiatives which led to the lunar landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969, carried there by the Apollo 11.  If you click on the picture you should be able to read a quote from JFK.

We stood in line for a bus tour of Merritt Island (the location of the KSC) to see the highlights of the space facilities, which included.....

..... the Vehicle Assembly Building - where all the early rocket  ships, then the shuttles, and now the newer, more powerful and modernized rocket ships are built.  We passed....

.......... the big crawler - which is used to transport the shuttles/rockets to the launch pad.  It moves at a speed of 1/2 mile per hour and takes about 7-8 hours to reach the launch pad.  One year while we were there, Poppa and I saw it moving a shuttle and it was a lot like watching paint dry - the movement was barely discernible.

This was as close as we could get to a launch pad - that large framework is part of the apparatus used to attain the upright position of the rocket/shuttle that you are accustomed to seeing.  They travel in a horizontal position on the crawler.  We went back to the Space Centre for a ride in the simulator (which is really fun and not as scare-ey as they lead you to believe before you get in there), a look at the actual shuttle Atlantis which is displayed gloriously in a flight position, just the way it looked when it returned from its last flight.  I was too awed to remember to take a picture - but you can see it for yourself when you come to visit!

I had a call from Aunt Lynda last evening.  They arrived home in Canada safely about 2:30 pm yesterday after a harrowing journey the day before through the blizzard that was afflicting Tennessee and Kentucky - with a record snowfall in Kentucky of 21 inches in less than 24 hours.  But yesterday, although cold, was bright and sunny and a perfect day for a long drive!  We're glad they arrived home safely and hope they enjoyed their small vacation in our winter neighbourhood!  We miss them already!

Poppa and Squeegie are doing dishes again - and want to say "Hi" to everyone in Canada!