I know I’ve shared this before, but let me further attempt to embarrass myself by reaching into the depths of my childhood memories.
As a preteen, I wanted nothing more than to go to space camp.
Yes, of course, this desire was brought on by the movie, Apollo 13. How could it not be? Bill Paxton? Kevin Bacon? Tom Hanks?! They made being an astronaut look like the coolest possible thing the universe has to offer.
Beg and plead. That is what I did for several years before I realized my parents were not going to give in and send me off to Florida for a week of astronautic jubilation. In the meantime, I did the best I could to practice for space at home. I would hold my breath for as long as possible. I would imagine what life without gravity would be like. And, my personal favorite, I would sit in my dad’s desk chair and spin it as fast as possible to practice tumbling through space in a confined space.
And, not going to lie, if for some reason NASA needed an employee who loves space, can bake a croissant to rival those of French bakers, loves to write, and has incredible organizational skills, I would be all up on that job application today.
For the time being, I have to settle with stalking NASA on social media and the occasional visit to Kennedy Space Center.
Our recent trip to Miami was to celebrate Hubby passing all four parts of the CPA exam*. But I have been blessed with an incredibly thoughtful husband, and he saw to it that we carved out a day for a trip to NASA.
*And, might I add, passing them all on first attempt.
What you should know to understand the magnanimity of this decision is that Miami is a good three plus hours away from Kennedy Space Center, and though Hubby was interested in Kennedy Space Center, his interest in no way matched my own.
The Rocket Garden
I am one lucky gal.
Eating a freeze-dried mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, as astronauts do.
I wanted to make the most of our time there, so I used the Kennedy Space Center app to help plan the stops we should hit first. After a little time in the Rocket Garden, we grabbed a quick snack of Sputnik* fries, then headed for the Journey to Mars exhibit.
*They were the bomb. No joke. Fries + Ranch + Chorizo + Blue cheese = Yum.
Mars Rover
There was a short presentation about the future of the Mars expedition which gave me chills and made me a little teary eyed with excitement. When I shared my experience with Hubby he said, “Hmm, I can’t say I felt the same way, but I’m glad you did.”
Sign me up!
I can’t really explain the emotions I have for NASA and their mission. I do know that when I stare up into the sky at night, up at something so beautiful yet unreachable by simple means, I feel so small, but in a good way. Like there is so much worth exploring and reaching for in this world and beyond.
There are many package enhancements for a day at Kennedy Space Center such as Dine with an Astronaut, Cosmic Quest (an interactive gameplay experience), and Astronaut Training Experience.
Yes, Astronaut Training Experience.
While I was unable to have the experience on this visit, you better believe it is earmarked for our next trip.
Someone like me could spend two days easily at Kennedy Space Center. The average person would most likely be satisfied with one full day.
To get the most out of our single day there, we booked a Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour. The Space Center has a free 30-minute bus ride which takes visitors around the Space Center, but ours lasted about three hours and provided explanations and photo opportunities of the sights.
The VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and Launch Control Center
Launch pads off in the distance
The VAB has to have doors large enough for assembled space shuttles to exit.
Just hanging out on a walkway that some of the great astronauts of our time have walked on.
During our tour we had the opportunity to experience a simulation of being in the command center during the moon landing.
Our tour ended at the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit.
I found it fitting that this was one of the final photos on my SD card from this trip. It is one of those pictures which I would like to frame and keep in a place where I will see it daily so that whenever I think my home or personal space is too small, I can remember the space an astronaut stays in for upwards of years and realize I don’t have it bad. Not bad at all.
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