Destination: Space
Last updated: 01/11/2006 - 17:00
It’s time to reach for the stars on the ultimate out-of-this-world trip. We take a look at the science fact – and science fun – to be had a Cape Kennedy.
Kennedy Space Center
Could this be the ultimate 'day out'..?
From the earliest days of America’s space program, Kennedy Space Center (formerly known as 'Cape Canaveral') has been there. Through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo rocket programmes - and Space Shuttle programs that replaced them, the NASA preparation and launch facility has captured the world’s attention and fed its imagination for the farthest reaches of outer space.
Nestled on a placid barrier island on what has become known as Florida’s ‘Space Coast’: Cocoa Beach, Titusville, Melbourne and Palm Bay – the endlessly bustling Kennedy Space Center is the epicentre of mankind’s greatest adventure. Now, with a new era of events, attractions and interactive programs unfolding year-round, Kennedy Space Center is also must-see attraction for every Florida visitor.
(Pictured, left: Walk on and explore the moon in the 1/6 Gravity Simulator, located at the Astronaut Hall of Fame.)
Located just 45 minutes from the city of Orlando, at more than 140,000 acres – over 200 square miles – the massive Kennedy Space Center is six times larger than Ney York’s Manhattan Island. It is a dynamic entity, with more than 20 NASA launches conducted in the past year by NASA and private industry. Kennedy Space Center’s remarkable collection of rockets, launch pads, NASA aerospace technology components and launch viewing opportunities offer an authenticity and behind-the-scenes access unlike any other Central Florida destination.
Launch Control
Home to the legendary Launch Control Center, where NASA engineers have guided launches since the Apollo program of the early 1960’s, Kennedy Space Center also boasts the Vehicle Assembly Building – one of the largest buildings in the world – where Saturn V rockets and Space Shuttle vehicles have been assembled piece by piece. Stretched north is the 15,000-foot Shuttle Landing Strip, and along the Atlantic shore are the massive Shuttle launch pads, LC-39A and LC-39B. A stone’s skip across the Banana River is Cape Canaveral, site of countless launches and even more launch pads, from the historic Mercury Redstone pads to the still-active LC-40 Titan IV.
Complementing the awe-inspiring collection of giant buildings and space equipment, Kennedy Space Center offers visitors numerous activities and interactive programs that will leave them with a new-found understanding of the U.S. space program, as well as a lasting impression of the individual and team accomplishments that make it all possible.
From technical details and physical experiments to the delicate balance between man and machine, Kennedy Space Center provides new ways to explore and appreciate planet earth as well as its surrounding universe:
(Pictured, right: The once-in-a-lifetime thrill of having lunch with a real NASA Astronaut and hearing inspiring space exploration stories while enjoying a delicious lunch.)The smoke, the noise, the vibrations – and the view! From countdown to blast off, there’s nothing quite like an authentic space launch. An on-going schedule of manned and unmanned space launches keep eyes glued to the skies above Kennedy Space Center throughout the year. If you’re already in the ‘States you can ring a special hotline on viewing a public launch on: 321-449-4444. Alternatively, visit: www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.
Kennedy Space Center is an ecological sanctuary encompassed by the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, home to more state and federally protected wildlife than any other National Refuge. Throughout 140,000 acres of estuaries, marshes and coastal dunes are seven distinct habitat types and over 500 species: from manatees to alligators, bald eagles to ospreys, and butterflies to sea turtles. Look for five hiking trails from 1/4 mile to five miles long, a seven-mile driving tour, and countless photo opportunities.
Short of becoming an astronaut, there’s no better way to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Kennedy Space Center than on a NASA Guided Tour. The two-hour tour is an insightfully narrated journey through the evolution of the space program featuring a visit to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, just across the Banana River from Kenney Space Center. The tour includes access to historical sights seldom open to the public, and explores the Space Shuttle program, from launch prep to lift-off, including up-close views of launch pads, the Vehicle Assembly Building and the six-million-pound Crawler-Transporter that hauls the Shuttle to its pad.
A fully restored massive Saturn V moon rocket serves as the centrepiece of the Apollo/Saturn V Center. In addition to viewing all 363 feet of the most powerful rocket ever built, visitors can relive the historic launch of Apollo 8 in the Firing Room Theatre, and catch the harrowing final moments before man landed on the moon in the Lunar Theatre. Visitors can experience the Apollo/Saturn V Center in detail along with the LC-39 Observation Gantry on Kennedy Space Center’s NASA Guided Tour.
The next best thing to heading off into the wild blue yonder is to try your hand on a spaceflight simulator at Kennedy Space Center’s Astronaut Hall of Fame. Interactive exhibits and simulators allow guests to experience for themselves not just the thrill but the pull of flight. The G-force trainer centrifuge takes guests on a jet fighter training run, where they can pull up to ‘4 Gs’ – three times the force of gravity – without ever leaving the ground. Visitors can also experience the lighter-than-air ease of walking on the moon, and even ride in a rover on the surface of Mars.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is home to not one but two five-and-a-half-story-tall IMAX® screens – the only twin IMAX® theatres in the world. Now playing: the 3-D IMAX® blockbuster Space Station. Narrated by Academy Award nominee Tom Cruise, Space Station takes audiences on an incredible cinematic journey to the International Space Station. Stunning footage shot by 25 Astronauts and Cosmonauts and 3-D technology combine to make audience members feel like they’re inside the Shuttle on launch, outside on a space walk, and floating effortlessly through the Station as it circles 220 miles above the earth.
Kennedy Space Center’s Lunch With An Astronaut offers guests a unique opportunity to dine with a true space hero. Learn about the daily life of an astronaut, ask questions, get a photo with the astronaut and an autographed souvenir. Seating is limited to insure an intimate setting, and the menu features gourmet classics like rotisserie chicken and oven-roasted potatoes, as well as Kennedy Space Center’s signature dessert: the ‘Brownie Liftoff’: a milk chocolate brownie surrounded by whipped cream and topped with fresh berries and melba sauce.
Although much of the story at Kennedy Space Center is about state-of-the-future technology, the new Astronaut Hall of Fame is about the brave men and women who flew. Kennedy Space Center’s newest addition features the world’s largest collection of astronaut memorabilia, plus scintillating displays, exhibits, simulators and tributes to the heroes of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. A historic collection of spacecrafts includes the Mercury Sigma 7 capsule, a Gemini training capsule, and the Apollo 14 command module. Shuttle astronauts Dan Brandenstein, Robert L. ‘Hoot’ Gibson, Story Musgrave and Sally Ride were inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame June 21, 2003 by Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell.
Some of the names are embedded in the American psyche like few other modern-day figures: Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Sally Ride.
They along with 46 other space pioneers have earned his or her way into American history by daring to dream big, work with determination, and embrace the unknown in the line of duty.
Their stories and more are now accessible to the world with the recent addition of the Astronaut Hall of Fame as part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Equal parts illumination and exhilaration, the Hall of Fame shares the human story behind space travel in a heretofore unprecedented fashion, with the largest collection of astronaut artefacts and mementoes ever assembled.
Exploration Artefacts
Among the thousands of artefacts donated from astronauts’ personal collections: Gordon Cooper’s May 15, 1969 TV cue cards inscribed 'I’m go for 22’; Jim Lovell’s boy scout handbook; Gus Grissom’s Mercury 7 flight suit and helmet; Buzz Aldrin’s high school football jersey; and Alan Shepard’s MR 3 umbilical plug, his last physical link to Earth during the first U.S. manned spaceflight aboard Freedom 7.
Also on display are astronaut journals to be read and recordings of countdown to be heard.
Complementing this expansive collection are displays of historic flown spacecraft, including the Mercury Sigma 7 capsule and the Apollo 14 Command Module, Kitty Hawk.
Located at the entry to the 140,000-acre Kennedy Space Center site, the Astronaut Hall of Fame is an ideal launch point for a day’s journey.
In 1984, the Mercury Seven Foundation was established by the six surviving members of America's original Mercury astronauts and Mrs. Betty Grissom, widow of the seventh, to preserve the United States' leadership role in science and technology by providing scholarships to outstanding college science and engineering students. Later, they envisioned a site, like the Baseball or Football Halls of Fame, where space travellers could be remembered. Their dream was realized with the opening in 1990 of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.
The Foundation broadened its membership to include astronauts from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs and changed its name in 1995 to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
The G-Force Trainer
For those who want to put themselves through the paces that separate NASA’s best from the rest, the Astronaut Hall of Fame also features interactive simulators that offer a true taste of space. Among them are the G-Force Trainer, which simulates the pressure of four times the force of gravity; the 3D-360 Simulator, which simulates a mission to the International Space Station; the Mercury Spacecraft Simulator, in which guests can test their reflexes; and Mission on Mars, an invigorating virtual ride across the Red Planet’s rocky terrain.
Rocket Garden
Recently unveiled after its first “face-lift” in 35 years, the all-new Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is ready for a ride. Marvel at eight vintage rockets from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs, each surrounded by expansive walkways and highlighted with easy-to-read signage and graphic elements. The Apollo 11 gantry arm and Apollo capsule model allow visitors to re-enact the heart-pumping moments of countdown and launch, while the Mercury and Gemini capsules let you experience first hand just how small early space craft were.
If you’re closer to home, you could visit the UK’s National Space Centre in Leicester. An awe-inspiring Millennium Landmark Project the Space Centre covers all aspects of space. There are hands-on interactives, real rockets, stunning imagery and a futuristic show in the domed Space Theatre for visitors to enjoy.
Around 45 minutes drive from most of the other Orlando attractions The John F. Kennedy Space Center is open every day of the year (except Christmas Day and certain launch days) from 9am until 7pm. The Astronaut Hall of Fame is open between 10am and 8pm. Visit the website for admissions charge – which varies from $16.00 to close to $60.00 – depending on what you choose to do on your visit. Visit the The John F. Kennedy Space Center website for further details.Follow this link for more information about visiting the Sunshine State of Florida – which includes a directory of ‘Must-See’ attractions while in that part of the world.
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