The Atlantic Coast - Day 1 [trip's soft start]

Greetings from Florida! 

I have not left. I have not finished packing. But sometimes a girl just needs to run away from the piles, the boxes and the multiple “To Do” lists taped to the fridge! I went as far as I could imagine: Space!

Well, the Space Coast anyway…

The cleverly named Rocket Garden

As it turns out, the Kennedy Space Center guides are working diligently to spread the message that the space program is not really dead. This new orbiter - Orion - is the beginning of the next generation of crew-capable orbiters. They hope it will carry US astronauts to the space station...

Orion was in the VAB [Vehicle Assembly Bldg], which is open [probably until September] for guide-only tours after 30 years. The VAB is a massive [and otherwise indescribable!] structure that quickly becomes a living, breathing place as one reads the banners draped from multiple levels. 

 As the history lesson soaked in the guide directed our attention to the right:

Seeing “United States” emblazoned on the now retired Atlantis [in transition and being prepped for display at the Kennedy Space Center] calls up so much national pride and awe it nearly brings tears to the eyes. I’m embarrassed to admit that my second thought was: “It looks so small!” I blame this on location – when you are standing in a building the size of a small country it’s easy to forget that Atlantis can ride piggyback on an airplane! Wondering about the missing piece? It’s away for the removal of dangerous chemicals. 

To learn more about rockets stop in at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Here you can touch a moon rock, see some very cool [and old] spacesuits, walk under a huge Saturn V rocket, and see the Apollo 14 command capsule: 

I spent about 6 hours here between the tour and independent wandering. It could easily be expanded into another day. It was my first visit and I definitely recommend it as a worthwhile stop when you’re in Florida.

Merritt Island is beautiful and worth the visit even without the Kennedy Space Center, as it is a National Wildlife Refuge. Alligators, turtles, and birds were abundant – mostly alligators on this trip.

By the time I got home, it was a clear and beautiful island night. As I often do on such nights I looked up at the stars. This time, however, I recalled the IMAX movie about the Hubble Telescope and its incredibly beautiful photographs of dying stars and star nurseries.