NASA
Kennedy Space Center
Cape Canaveral, Florida
 Our Visit -- June 2000

Visit the Kennedy Space Center online!

We toured the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in June of 2000.  We spent the entire day at the center and found it to be the best sight-seeing tour we've ever experienced.  If you ever get the chance, make a point of visiting this amazing treasure!  Our day began briefly at the Visitor Center but we soon hopped on a bus -- an amazing bus that was fully air conditioned, roomy, and complete with full audio-visual presentations as we rode from area to area -- and headed off on our mission.  Our first destination: the LC-39 Observation Gantry. 

Taken from atop the LC-39 Observation Gantry, this picture reveals the Crawler Transport Track leading from the VAB.  It is on this track that the massive Crawler Transports -- 6 million pounds and half the size of a soccer field each -- carry the shuttle and its external tanks from the VAB to the launch site at the rate of 1 mile per hour.  (It returns, empty, at the unburdened speed of 2 miles per hour!) 

Here is another view of the Crawler Transport Track as it leads to the launch pad.  These tracks were very carefully engineered to account for the incredible weight of the Transports and have held up for over 30 years.



This is a view of one of the Launch Pads (39A or 39b) from LC-39 Observation Gantry.  Understandably but unfortunately, this is as close to a launch pad as any of us civilians will ever get.  They may look a little different but these launch pads are the same ones used in the Apollo launches.

This is a model of the Space Shuttle and Launch Pad found within the LC-39 Observation Gantry.

Here's a shot of an actual size External Tank assembly for the shuttle.

As we entered the Saturn V center, we were greeted by this overwhelming wall mural of the Saturn V sitting on its launch pad at dusk.  This preceded our entry into Firing Room where we experienced a recreation of the Apollo 8 launch with full sound, computer activity, and even the shaking of the building at T-Minus Zero.  This is guaranteed to give goosebumps!  Next up: The Saturn V itself.

Here's Tony next to a model of the Saturn V.  We would love to have gotten a full shot of the rocket itself, but it is simply too big at 363 feet.  It is an awesome sight though, suspended from the ceiling of a huge hangar, fully restored and repainted.  It is the only one in existence.

Running along the length (height) of the Saturn V are the banners of the Mission Patches for the Apollo Missions.  This view gives you some idea of the size of the rocket.

Here are a few shots of the exhaust pipes of a Saturn V.

 

Also found with the Saturn V is the Command Service Module, which orbited the moon as landing and exploration took place and carried the astronauts home.  Here you can see both its exhaust assembly and top.

This is the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), which carried the astronauts to the moon's surface and then back to the Command Service Module.  It's always amazing to consider that the "foil looking" bottom actually is foil.  Remember: there's much less gravity and no atmospheric pressure on the moon.

Of course, no trip to the moon would be complete without a little drive, so hop into the Moon Rover.  One truly astonishing fact about this "car" is that the actual tires aren't really tires at all -- they were made of what is pretty much just chicken wire!

Our final stop on the tour was at the International Space Station Center.  Here, we learned all about this amazing project and were even able to walk through an actual model of the inside of the station.  The picture to the right is a model of the completed station. 

Another intriguing aspect of our tour of this facility was the opportunity to see actual space station components in construction.  The Leonardo pictured to the far right is an Italian project.

Our day ended back at the Visitor Center where we took in an awesome IMAX shuttle mission movie, a remarkable 3D IMAX future space-living movie, several educational displays, a walk through an actual shuttle model, a look at the space memorial Mirror Wall, and, of course, a trip to the souvenir store for some goodies.  What an incredible day!