02-06-2018 The Launch of The Falcon Heavy Road trip!

After driving 12 hours to FL just to see the rocket sitting on the launch pad my desire to see its actual launch was multiplied by 100000000000000%. After the successful Test Fire Elon Musk sent out a tweet that the launch would be "in a week or so."  I checked a calendar and tried to figure out when that might be.  I thought the fifth was a possibility. Meg and I figured he would want to do it before the 8th when the government might have stupidly shut down again since the earlier shut down had effected his test fire. He wouldn't want this to possibly force a delay in the launch. With that in mind we started looking at work schedules. The 3rd and 4th were supposed to be our weekend off. Now in retail weekends are really important because you don't get many off (one a month at our job). Not only that but this was Super Bowl weekend. We had previously requested Monday off because we planned on having a Super Bowl party. Well we let our friends know the party was cancelled and then swapped the weekend for Tuesday and Wednesday off. Thursday we would have to be back at work by 10am. That gave us as much time as possible to see the launch.

Next was figuring out where we would see it from. We had explored Titusville and Space Walk Park and had driven around the Wildlife refugee. But for this historic launch I really wanted to be some place with experts: people who would be able to give us info on the process, what was happening, where to look, and what to expect. So I went ahead and spent the money to buy tickets to a viewing spot at the Kennedy Space Center. I bought tickets to the "Closest Viewing" Area. We had missed "Feel the Heat" which would have had us a mere 3 miles from the launch but was out of my price range anyway, though Meg was willing to buy them until she saw it was sold out. But, man, those folks that got those tickets were lucky!

"Closest" had us 7 miles away from the launch pad on the lawn in front of the Atlantis Display building. It would get us a commemorative item and buffet lunch provided. Plus someone on hand to direct us and provide info like I had been hoping. Also obviously we were allowed parking at the Space Center and 2 days admittance.

KSC understands the packrat in my soul because on the back of the parking placard they politely informed me that I could keep it as a souvenir :-) to which Meg and I both responded "you don't have to tell me that!"

It was January 26 when Chris from NASA Spaceflight somehow got the word earlier than anyone else and tweeted out that the launch date was Feb 6th with the 7th as a backup. Our planning had worked we had the right days off and we were ready to go. We just needed the day to come.

And it came quick. Before I knew it Super Bowl Sunday was here and we planned to leave directly from work, like we had done the last time. In the morning we packed the car up with everything we would need which for a trip like this: which was a lot of really cool equipment. Meghan had a tripod and her trusty Canon rebel. She brought several lenses including her "super zoom" which gives her a magnification up to 300 and her fish eye lens. I had a tripod and my new binoculars. I also had a monocular that could attach to my i-phone and just a regular video camera.  The goal was to have options for how we wanted to record this event.

After work it was basically half time in the game and the roads were pretty clear as we started south/east. For Sunday night the goal was just to drive as long as I felt comfortable and then pull over and sleep for a few hours. We didn't have very specific plans for Monday but I wanted to arrive around noon. I was concerned that there would be a lot of other people traveling for the launch and so I didn't want to get stuck in traffic. I forget exactly how long we drove but I know we were through most of Georgia when we finally took a rest.

One of my coworkers asked why we were driving rather than flying and I told him it was much cheaper to drive. See Meghan has a hybrid Ford C-max and I want to say the whole trip only cost about $160 in gas. The other benefit of having the car was that it served as our hotel room for trip.

The Hab

I told Meg we should rename her car, currently called Ice, to the Hab but she sadly declined.

I don't know why but the rest stop we pulled over at had all the lights off. Which is probably a little unsafe and generally not my normal experience but it made it a great spot to sleep. When we finally got up we decided to drive for about an hour and then pulled over at exit 101 off Highway 75 for breakfast at Chik-fil-a. Then we were a hop, skip, and a jump away from FL.

We reached Titusville at around noon. First we went back to Space Walk Park because we hadn't actually gone through the whole park last trip only the Mercury memorial.  Now we saw the Apollo, Gemini, and Space Shuttle memorials.

 Along the walk way are tiles for each of the various launches. These are two of my favorites. The Gemini 5 covered wagon pays tribute to the desire for exploration that caused settlers to travel across the United States.

Meghan got to play with her fisheye lens for this shot of the statue of Kennedy in front of the Apollo memorial. I can only imagine the joy and pride it gave many Americans to hear his speech telling us we were going to the moon. I love the idea of choosing to go to the moon even though it is hard because we choose to do it. It is a beautiful speech to read and to hear. The challenge was hard but it was the one we wanted. And the challenge was met. Talk about doing anything you put your mind too. He put the best minds in several fields on the task. They did what some doubted could be done. Think about that the next time you face a challenge someone says can't be done. Because that is what they said about putting a man on the moon and they were wrong. And that's what they said about rockets re-landing themselves and they were wrong.

We went to Jetty Park at Port Canaveral to see the beach. I have to say, and this surprises me, I miss the ocean. Its not that we went often but we had the option when we wanted too. A landlocked state makes it harder. I remember right before Meghan moved we went whale watching off Montauk. At one point we were leaning on the rail and remarking to each other that "we were going to miss this." Another patron asked how often we went whale watching. And we said we hadn't been since we were little. He was confused and said, "well then there isn't anything to miss." That missing something implied you did it often. I disagree. I guess maybe knowing I could go anytime was comforting.

At Jetty Park I set up my binoculars on the tripod just to play with them and look around while Meghan took pictures of the wildlife.

I was just having fun bird watching or looking at the cruise ships and fishing boats in the distance. It gave me a good chance to get more comfortable with them since I had only used them a few times. At one point I attached my i-phone to the binoculars to see how well the attachment piece worked. It took me a bit to get it lined up correctly but I got it and I look forward to doing the same thing with my telescope eventually. Maybe at some point I can get some pictures of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars.

Apparently around 5 or 6 is when all the brown pelicans start flying inland for the night because they kept coming in waves of 8-10. And they flew in nice and close for Meghan.

And then there was this little fellow who kept popping up and down. It was a little boy excitedly calling to his parents that he had seen a turtle that made us stop where we did and set up. We did end up moving a bit down the boardwalk  when another boy who was fishing said he had seen two come up. They certainly were elusive but Meg is a good photographer and managed to catch them a few times.


When it was getting dark we started thinking about finding something to eat and so left Jetty Park. As we were driving away we saw Peacocks crossing the road. So I had to stop so Meghan could get some pictures and she got some marvelous ones!

Now I discovered something very important at this moment. I have seen peacocks before, but never loose. Well apparently I have an innate fear of peacocks. I pulled over and Meg got out and started taking pictures I began walking around looking at the beautiful birds. Then one started walking towards me. Not aggressively, not even on purpose, he was just eating and walking. I know that. But I ran! I ran back to the car got inside and closed the window. Eventually I got out again but if they started coming towards me I was gone again. I don't know it's not like the feathers were up or they seemed annoyed but I am apparently terrified of them.  

Once the photo session was over we decided to head back to Port Canaveral to the Florida Beer Co where we had done some sampling last trip. When I walked up to the bar the bartender smiled and said "welcome back where is your friend!" Which basically cemented the fact that whenever I go to see a launch in the future I will be stopping by their brewery. Nothing better than being recognized.  We each had a pint and we ordered pizza from a local pizzeria, Zarrella's. The pizza was good but I wish I had asked them to make the crust extra crispy.  One thing I noticed was that everywhere we stopped people were talking about the launch. The people at the Burger King, and gas stations, and Space Walk Par,k Jetty Park, and the runners at the Florida Beer Co. were all talking about it and excited for it. It was nice. I had been talking about the launch with coworkers and showing videos of the Falcon 9 rockets re-landing themselves as well as the SpaceX simulation of the Falcon Heavy and now here we were the eve of the launch and everyone was talking about it. Everyone was excited!

When we finished our beer and pizza we went to the Cape Canaveral Walmart and parked at the back with the RVs for night two in the Hab. When we went to sleep there were two other RVs. When we woke up there were closer to ten and several other cars had joined our area. We got up before our alarms went off. Partly I think because of our own excitement and partly because sleeping in the back of a car is not very comfortable. I left the Walmart and pulled into a gas station that had a Dunkin' Donuts attached so we could get some coffee and breakfast. Then we were on our way to the Kennedy Space Center. Now according to our parking pass we needed to be there at least four hours before launch time which was 1-4. We were on line to park at around 6:30am. And I mean on line behind several cars. The people who had the "Feel the Heat" package had to be there I think six hours before launch mainly because they were going to be boarding buses to take them to their watch site. The line moved fast enough and we had a good parking spot. Now it was time for the real fun! We were at Kennedy Space Center and it was Launch Day!

Kennedy opened the gates at 8 and we went inside and straight to our viewing area to pick a good spot, only to find that our viewing area wouldn't be opened until 10:30. We could have gone exploring but since we had just been there we didn't have much to explore and we had all our stuff with us which would have been annoying to carry around. So we started a line for the viewing area. This resulted in a very enjoyable two hour wait. We ended up watching the belongings of one family as they went inside the Atlantis exhibit with their kids. And we were reunited with our parking neighbor who had pulled in to the parking lot just before us. There was also a couple from England and some folks from Texas. Earlier we had meet some people from Germany and even some locals from Orlando. Basically people from everywhere had come for this launch. It was an enjoyable wait but it was a long wait. We checked out each others equipment and I played with the i-phone monocular some more. After seeing some examples of pictures and video taken with a samsung phone and 360 camera I think my next phone might have to be a samsung. Though to be fair I have an old I-phone and I bet the cameras are better now.

These photos were taken with the monocular attached to my i-phone.

As we waited our parking neighbor pulled up google earth on his samsung phone and we tried to figure out where the launch pad would be to plan a good viewing spot. I was pretty sure I could see the VAB, Vehicle Assembly Building, in front of us which meant that 39A would be a bit to the right of it. We couldn't see the launch pad because of the tree line. When we were finally allowed to enter the viewing area we went straight to the bleachers and set up at the right side of them. 

There was a large tv screen set up as well as a count down clock. The DJ told us that the rocket should be launched from somewhere behind where he was so we pointed our equipment in his direction. Now we were in for a long wait.  The lunch buffet was an awesome awesome taco bar and the commemorative item we each received was a pin that showed the Falcon Heavy and said "I was there."

As we watched the count down clock it seemed like every time it got close to going under two hours the clock would jump back up. The launch kept getting pushed further and further back due to high level winds that could cause issues for the launch. The Kennedy Space Center definitely did their best to keep us entertained. On the screen they showed an informational video about the rocket. 

The video included a view of the Falcon Heavy's 27 Merlin engines, pretty impressive. 

We also had the broadcast of Bill Nye from the "Feel The Heat" viewing area as he spoke about the Planetary Society and sending solar sail vehicles into space. He spent an appropriate amount of time making fun of Flat Earthers as well. And then said, "Space exploration brings out the best in us." And it is so true. It is a result of human creativity, ingenuity, exploration, persistence and more. It is unifying. It is the International Space Station because it is shared. When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon he talked about 'mankind'. Newspapers around the world celebrated the event. 

Many of us in the crowd were checking the twitter feeds of SpaceX, Elon Musk, and NasaSpaceflight for updates about the launch. I found one report that had the launch aiming for 3:45 with the last weather ballon going up at 3:30. That was it. If it went any later then we were all going to be doing the same thing again tomorrow. The end of the launch window was quickly approaching and then we got the word: they were fueling up the rockets. A cheer went through the field. Fueling the rockets meant we were getting closer to launch time. And the launch was going up today. 

Then John came on the giant screen with the best news we could ask for:

You can just hear the beginning of the crowd cheering before I cut the video camera. This was actually really good timing. I had just taken my camera out to check the battery and make sure it was all good. I had my i-phone with the monocular on the tripod but I knew that if it was not lined up right there was going to be no way I would be able to move it fast enough to get the rocket and still enjoy the launch. I had learned that earlier when I was trying to take pictures of the helicopter circling. 

We were 17 minutes away. Meg did last checks on her camera as well. Others in the crowd began to get ready for the launch checking equipment and getting better position. At this point Richard, our Kennedy Space Center representative got up to urge anyone here for their first launch and even those who had witnessed launches before to maybe forgo the cameras (though he also admitted he didn't think anyone would listen). He told us to take in the experience. First we would see the rocket and then we would hear the rocket. You could feel the anticipation in the crowd. I turned on my video camera again a little more than a minute before launch. The clock we had been watching was about 10 seconds faster than the actual launch clock which caused a funny moment and two count downs. I did kind of listen to Richard because while I was videotaping the launch I wasn't watching through the camera. As a result when the side boosters returned after their initial burn I was able to follow them but you will hear me telling people where to look and that I can see them but my camera could not. 

Direct link to my video

The whole video is 12 minutes long but here are some key moments. 

At 2:14 you will hear the rumble of the Falcon Heavy engines.

At 7:52 you will see the rockets return.

At 9:39 is when you can hear the sonic boom and the crowd reacts.

Over the speakers they were playing the sound from SpaceX launch Command Center. I started by filming the screen to show the progress with a plan to turn to the rocket as soon as it was in view. Now remember how I said we were trying to figure out where the launch pad was with Google Earth. And then we were told it would be behind the DJ (to the right of the screen). Well it turned out our calculations were a little bit better. So in the video you will see us all looking towards the screen and then in the bottom left the rocket will appear. And then it was pure amazingness. The rocket came up slowly as it arched across the sky. We see it come up before we hear it. Then the side rockets separate I catch them real quick on the camera when they do a burn to slow themselves but then they were just two white lines easy to miss against the sky. I was able to watch them come down but I can't see them in the camera at all. But the most amazing thing for me was the fact that the rockets returned and landed and were sitting stationary before we heard the sonic boom and their engines. I have never ever experienced such disconnect of sound and visual before. 

Fuzzy screen shots from my video of the launch and two rockets returning.

Meghan's shot of the Falcon Heavy with her Canon Rebel and 300 zoom.

And like that it was over, 12 minutes of pure wonder and joy. Except it is almost two weeks later and I am still thinking about the launch. It was historic and we were lucky enough to have witnessed it. This launch is the promise of so much to come in space exploration. Like the Apollo launches before it this is a new era. SpaceX is preparing for Deep Space exploration and reaching Mars.  To me it has become a moment that years from now I will be able to look back at proudly and say I was there. I will remember the details ingrained in my photographic memory. It joins the Total Solar Eclipse and David Cone's Perfect Game as special moments in my life. 

Also I can't not mention the fact that Elon Musk launched his car into space, making the Tesla the fastest car in the universe. Now I have seen some people complain about 'space junk' and it being a gimmick. But hear me out, or read me out, on this if that gimmick got a few people who wouldn't have heard about it to care then I think it is worth it. And there was always going to be space junk. If it wasn't the car it was going to be  a chunk of concrete. And the car did turn heads. It made people stop and pay attention. And also Starman floating around the earth in a red Tesla roadster is an awesome shot. Musk in an interview commented that you know it's real because it looks so fake. We have better CGI then that. It was fun and it got attention. 

View of Earth from Elon musk's Tesla Roadstar SpaceX

And now it was time to head home. I looked up a few points of interest to see on the way back to break the drive up a bit. The first was a Veteran owned brewery in Jacksonville called Veterans United Craft Brewery. We stopped for a bit had a pint each and brought a growler of their Scout Dog 44 home with us.

We drove for a little longer and then slept again before continuing to Americus Georgia where at a small airfield there is a statue honoring Charles Lindbergh wing walking. 

It was still dark when we got there and wasn't well lit. I think we surprised one employee who was pulling up to the main building. He saw us at the statue and asked if we needed help. We told him we had just come to see it and he said ok and finished going down the drive way. I guess not many people take the detour or most have the good sense to get there during day light hours. 

From there we were headed to Kennesaw, Georgia to see where "the General" was kidnapped. Now maybe I learned about the General in school and forgot about it or maybe it never really got mentioned but apparently 22 union soldiers during the Civil War slipped behind enemy lines and stole a Confederate train and began trying to ride it north to the Union Side and destroy tracks as they went. The plan didn't work as they were pursued by the train's conductor William Fuller. But they did almost make it to the Union side. If not for Fuller's determination they may have been successful. 

There are matching stones marking where the General was kidnapped and where it was recovered. The chase covered 87 miles from Kennesaw to Ringgold Georgia. Originally we were just going to stop at the spot where it was kidnapped and then go straight to were it was recovered but because there was heavy rain we decided to spend some time in the actual Civil War Train Museum located around the corner form where the train was kidnapped. 

Inside the museum was The General. 

I need to learn more about the Great Locomotive Chase because there is nothing better than a good behind enemy lines story. And the focus at the museum and on the markers was the persistence of Fuller but let's take a moment here. Twenty men in groups of two or three snuck over 90 miles into enemy territory. Got on to the train as if they were passengers. And kidnapped the train right in front of an enemy camp. Then almost made it to their own lines on the train. It brings to my mind one of the greatest lines in one of my favorite movies when in the Great Escape Roger explains that it is his job  to "harass, confound, and confuse the enemy."

I think the best thing about finding random places to stop and look at roadside attractions around the United States is the growing list of random towns that I know in different states. Basically I'll eventually have a lock on US geography trivia because of researching towns and points of interest. 

And then we drove over the mountains of Chattanooga and took highway 24 all the way home.  

By the way during the last tip to FL we had to get back in time for job interviews, which was why we couldn't explore all of spacewalk park. Well we both got the jobs we were interviewing for and are now planning some celebratory road trips. . . so more to come :-)

Behold: Falcon Heavy

So we took a road trip to see the Falcon Heavy on historic Launch Pad 39A. And spoiler alert: we saw it. This picture was taken by me putting my brand new binoculars on Meghan's tripod and carefully holding my i-phone up to the eye piece. 

But let me go back before that. Long before that. When we were around 8 or so our parents brought us to Florida on vacation to see Disney, Sea World, and the Kennedy Space Center. We remember Disney and Sea World pretty well but all we remembered from Kennedy Space was that the trash cans were full and there were bees. I don't know if maybe we were too young, or not yet interested enough in the information presented, or if it was just the shock of Disney overpowered our experience.  I mean the interest was there because a few years later my parents bough us our telescope and we liked science fiction like Star Trek, so the real thing should have made an impact. We remember when we were 12 or 13 talking with a good friend about possibilities of people going to Mars. So as I look back I'm not sure why the KSC did not result in more of a memory. But maybe it is good that it didn't because my lack of a memory fueled my desire to return.  That and the historic Falcon Heavy sitting upright on the pad waiting for it's test fire and historic launch.

The test fire was scheduled for Monday in the afternoon. So we left Nashville after Meg got off work Sunday night and began the 12 hour drive. I was off a few hours earlier than her and tried to catch some sleep in the car which worked because we reached Cape Canaveral around noon. We would have been there in time to see the test fire but due to our politicians inability to function as adults the American Government had shut down which meant the test fire was on hold until they could get a long. So instead we just explored Cape Canaveral and Playalinda Beach.

In the days leading up to the road trip I checked online and asked people for recommendations of things to do and see near Cape Canaveral. One recommendation was to see the Astronaut Memorial in Titusville, which is also listed as one of the top spots to view a launch. So we headed over to 8 Broad Street in Titusville and saw the Memorial to the seven Gemini Pilots.

The boardwalk there was badly damaged by the hurricanes this year and was fenced off from visitors. But I did get to take my binoculars out and explore the horizon a bit.

From the park we left to head to Playalinda Beach which took us through the Merritt Island Refuge. At the first pull off we stopped so that I could use my binoculars and look across the water at Canaveral while Meghan took some pictures of the wildlife. We ran into a gentleman there Lane Hermann of Space Head News, who is a local historian on the space program. As we talked he told us about a few points of interest in the Kennedy Space center to pay attention too. He also showed us some pieces he has collected over the years from various rockets. I have to say it was amazing to us to be holding a piece of a rocket. He also showed us his book on the Enterprise and the test shuttles Lane Hermann. 

As we left and began down the road to the beach I passed a gigantic alligator at the side of the road so I pulled over as soon as possible so Meghan could bravely go back and photograph it. I didn't feel any strong need to go back near it so I stayed by the car to look at the Falcon Heavy which was visible just across the water and is when I took the above picture. Meg had great success with the alligator as well.

When she came back to the car she turned her attention to seeing what photos she could catch of the Falcon Heavy. 

Meet the Falcon Heavy! There is a lot that is amazing about it but specifically to me the two most amazing parts are the fact that the Falcon 9 rockets which make it up will return and re-land themselves (two at Cape Canaveral and one on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean). And second the fact that private companies like SpaceX have taken interest in the space program means that NASA can focus on the next step of deep space exploration. 

Now at this point it is Monday at maybe 2pm and we already have had a successful road trip. I mean we could have turned around and been totally satisfied with the trip! But that isn't the end Meg had a lot of success with wildlife photography and we had a lot more exploring to do.

Meg snapped a picture of this little fellow on Playalinda Beach.

And at one of the other pull overs she saw this beautiful bird enjoying the wonderful weather.

On the way out of the park we saw this armadillo hanging out in the grass. At this point I realized that the armadillo is really just a well armored rabbit and look how cute he is.  

Now whenever planing a road trip I look for roadside attractions along the way and at out destination. Other than the obvious must sees listed at the Cape was a large boulder that had been painted to look like the earth, on one side. The other side was painted black and it is unclear whether it was left blank on purpose to represent night or if the painter just lost interest. Either way we headed over to see it ourselves. 

After that quick stop we started to go to the hotel when a warning light came in on Meg's car to check the tire air pressure.  Luckily we had seen a Tire King as we were driving around the Cape and we returned to it. The staff added some air to Meg's front left tire and we reached the hotel. After check in we left to find a bite to eat. 

Another thing I like to do on road trips is find local craft breweries to try and maybe get a growler to take home. Online I had found Florida Beer Company Now they don't serve food there so we picked up sandwiches to bring with us, they also encourage people to have food ordered in and there are a number of local food spots ready to deliver. 

And that ended day 1. We went back to the hotel completely exhausted and ready to sleep. We were getting up early the next day to go to The Kennedy Space Center. 

As we drove to the Space Center in the morning Meghan's air pressure light came back on. The day before I wasn't worried because we had been on a long car ride but to have the light come back meant there had to be a problem. I'm going to be honest, as I parked at the Kennedy Space Center I was worried we may come out to find a completely flat tire. Not worried enough to lose time at the Space Center and get it fixed before we went in of course. 

We got there early and parked in one of the first few spots. The parking lots are sectioned off and named for different Astronauts. We were parked in the lot named for Walter 'Wally' Schirra. 

As we waited for the doors to open we looked at the countdown clock which now counts the last minute before the Center opens every day but in the early days of space travel it had counted down to the Gemini and Apollo launches.  Being there early also gave us time to try and plan our day to get the most out of the day visit. Our plan was to see the Rocket Garden right as we entered so that Meg could get photos and play with her fisheye lens for her Cannon Rebel. After that would be boarding the bus at 10:00am to head to the Apollo/Saturn building. We would return to the Atlantis building and then try and get to the "Meet an Astronaut" where Norm Thagard would be speaking about his many experiences at 3pm. That was the plan at least. 

Rocket garden was a success Meg's fisheye lens allowed her to get the full rockets in the shot and being there early minimized people being in the shots. Now at 9:30 was a 20 minute guided tour of the rocket garden and even though it might have meant a later bus we decided to take the tour. If there is one thing I can stress about the Space Center it is take the time to wait for the guided tours! It was worth it. When we got to the line for the bus it wasn't very long but we let people in front of us so that we could wait for the next bus to be the first one's on. This way we could get the front entrance side seat. It allowed us to see out the windshield instead of just the side tinted windows. As the bus went around the driver pointed out several points of interest like the giant platforms that rockets will sit on to be moved from VAB (Vehicle Assembly building) to launch pads. We also saw a manatee hanging out just after our bus driver finished saying she doubted we would see one. 

Crawler

VAB

The bus could not go to 39A because of the Falcon heavy sitting on it but we still got pretty close.

 Then the bus pulled up at the Apollo/Saturn V building. Again there was a guided tour and it was sooooooooo worth it. We ended up spending much longer in this area then originally planned but I learned so much about the history of Space travel. I knew the most famous names like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin but there was so much I didn't know.

We got to relive the launch of Apollo 8. As different voices came over the recording different stations would light up. 

Then we entered the main room and there was the gigantic Saturn V. We looked up at the Apollo badges hanging from the ceiling. 

One thing that really resonated with me was the feeling of optimism and unity that surrounded the space program. The Apollo 11 badge was a great example of that with the bald eagle representing America rather than having the astronauts names listed. Also the words on the plaque that was placed on the moon "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."

We also learned a lot more about the Apollo 1 crew and tragedy. I had known of the accident but not much. 

"If we die we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life."- Gus Grissom


To read Gus Grissom's words were chilling. There are a lot of qualities that the first Astronauts shared like courage, determination, and perseverance, The also had an amazing understanding of the history they were creating and their own part in it. There is a beautiful elegance in Neil Armstrong's first words on the moon. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

As we returned to the main campus of the Kennedy Space Center we saw but were unable to photograph a bald eagle perched in a tree next to a gigantic eagle nest. Apparently it is one of several nests in the refuge but the only one actually visible from the road.

From there time seemed to fly we went into the Atlantis Shuttle display and experienced what being launched into space would actually feel like. Unfortunately because of spending so much time in the Apollo/ Saturn V building and then at Atlantis  we missed the Astronaut meet and greet. But like I said above I learned so much I think it was worth taking the extra time to go through exhibits. For this reason though I would certainly recommend spending two days at the Space Center for anyone planning to go. We didn't take advantage of the I-Max movies either but those were never actually part of our plan.

Since we missed hearing Norm Thagard speak we went to the exhibit on Mars next and took a look at replicas of Curiosity and the other Mars rovers before heading over to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

And that brought us to 6pm and the Space Center closing. We went outside and I was relieved to see that our tire was not flat. On the way we passed a wild pig just to complete the wild life bingo card. We went to a different Tire King and discovered that somewhere during our trip we had picked up a nail in the tire. Luckily it wasn't bad and the repair was quick. Now it was time to look for dinner and for some reason I really wanted a salad. Like a giant amazing salad. Meghan searched for restaurants with salad bar and found Sonn'y Barbecue.




Well! We went for the salad bar but we will go back for the barbecue. Don't get me wrong the salad bar was perfect and hit the spot and the barbecue was amazing! Also Meg tried another local brewery Playalinda's Tropical Wonderland. So after a delicious meal we headed to Playalinda's location to try some of their beers.

Then we went back to the hotel. In the lobby is an astronaut statue so we stopped to take photos with it. As I was taking Meg's photo I joked "Ok smile both of you." I got to say. It's a bad joke that would definitely make my Dad proud. A passing guest gave his approval of the joke too.

The next day we got up early because we had two more museums to go to before driving home to Nashville. 

The first museum was the Air Force Space and Missile Museum. A small museum dedicated to the many other launch pads at Cape Canaveral. This museum was loaded with information. The volunteer on duty was Chuck Anderson and he shared lots of personal stories and great information. It is free admission with a donation box at the entrance and a gift shop. I'm so glad we took the time to stop here and look around. Each launch pad had a different display with many different interesting facts.  

 Also and I did not know this before we went there but right next door is SpaceX's Launch and Landing control building! On the door was one of the best signs I have ever seen which showed a picture of someone walking through the door with another person following very closely behind and it warned "Watch for Tailgaters".

Then we went to the next museum American Space Museum. Another small museum which was jam packed with memorabilia and very much worth the trip. Our tour guide here was John and again he was wonderful and the tour was incredibly informative.

 After that we had to leave the cape to head home but we had one more stop to make and that was in Kissimmee, Florida. In 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor when Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis wanted a symbol of unity. He sent out letters to state governors to send him rocks. He was sent rocks from all the states from the governors and from individual citizens. The rocks were incased in concrete and stacked into a pyramid.

Another photo using the fisheye lens. In case you can't tell I love Meg's photos with that lens. It is fun to watch her take them too. She has to walk right up to the subject to take a photo and then to see a full photo result is awesome.

There were also several rocks from foreign countries.







Then we were heading home to Nashville. We had a good break and chance to stand when we stopped to visit family in Atlanta and leave behind some astronaut ice cream. We probably got home around 4am pretty tired but it was worth the trip. We spent 24 hours driving and 48 hours in Cape Canaveral. I think we made the most of our time and the best part is we are doing it all over again.

Shortly after we got home February 6th was announced as the launch date for Falcon Heavy. So after work on Sunday 4th while most people are watching the end of the Superbowl Meg and I will be hitting the road again to go back to FL and witness history!

And for no particular reason at all here is one of the best youtube videos in existence as Chris Hadfield covers David Bowie's "Space Oddity. " In honor of the future of space exploration: