1367 October 28, 2026 Kennedy Space Center
I walked two miles in loops around the campground. I knew I would get plenty of steps in.
Tim found a Planet Fitness nearby and he went to work out. Tim was inspired today by an older guy who came to the gym in his wheelchair.
We ate eggs for breakfast and then left for our filed trip.
We were just a couple of miles from Kennedy Space Center and to get there, we had to pass through Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. We saw lots of wading birds and we saw two black feral pigs grazing in the grassy verge.
We began our day at the Information Center. This was a good decision. The woman at the desk gave us a map with detailed suggestions about how we might spend our day.
We walked to the bus terminal and started with the tour. It was a fifteen-minute ride to the Gantry at LC-39. On our way, we passed the building where the rockets are assembled. This building is one of the largest in the world and it has the largest doors ever made.
At the Gantry, we took the elevator to the 4th floor and the observation deck. From this vantage point, we could see much of the surrounding wildlife refuge and the launch sites.
We browsed exhibits and watched a video presentation about the NASA grogram.
We hopped on another bus that took us to the Apollo/SaturnV Center. Here we stood in the same control room that was utilized by the launch team for the Apollo mission to the moon.
When the doors opened after the presentation, we found ourselves in a huge warehouse type building. The Apollo rocket hung suspended from the ceiling. The rocket was tremendous. It is impossible to get any picture that captures its entirety. It is more than 400 feet long.
We got to touch a moon rock.
We took the bus back to the main complex and went to explore the Space Shuttle Atlantis. This shuttle was the first designed by NASA to be reused. We learned a lot about the missions, the failures and the successes.
We did the Shuttle Launch Experience which was amazing! An astronaut said that the simulation was very close to what it actually feels like to take off. I was really glad that we had that experience. It made me want to fly!
Forever Remembered was a memorial to the astronauts lost in the Columbia and Challenger disasters. Each person was represented by a shadowbox of the things that they loved. It was a sobering display; a reminder that space exploration is a dangerous undertaking. These men and women were dedicated heroes. They all knew the risks and they were willing to give up their lives in pursuits of their dreams.
It was late afternoon and we were tired! There were other things that we could have seen…two days there would have been even better!
Going to the Space Center was pricey but it was absolutely worth it. The entire complex is very well designed. Every presentation is topnotch. We had been here 15 or 20 years ago and it is completely different. The sights, the sounds, the education, and the science were coming at us from every direction. We were in awe. It made us remember how rare and fragile and small we are in the scope of the larger universe. I would definitely come back.
It was 3pm and we were starving. We went to Latitudes Waterfront Grill. We started at a table on the deck but it was very windy! We found another table closer to the building. We had really good tuna poke bowls.
