Houston, We Have A Secret: A TX Vacation With A WDW Surprise ...aaand Done! Page 43

[Jules425]

After spending the night at JSC visitors center during teacher overnight's I had gotten a little burned out on Space Center Houston. Looks like they've added some new things to the center and the tour. My girls are probably old enough to have some fun. Its hard to go back to the crowds when you've played with all the "toys" at SCH at 2 AM while with maybe 10 others awake.

 

[GeminiAngel]

Great report so far! I've always wanted to go to the Downtown Aquarium and Nasa.

Can't wait for your Galveston report. My MIL lives there, and we have future plans, within a decade to move there. We love Galveston.

 

[E3yore]

Bambi is gonna get you !!!

I have learned to ignore Barry's I can ignore others. The big problem is that Barry can't just write them he has to point them out to everyone.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I did start laughing when I read that Mark thought it was torture device. I had fun thoughts of dragging him to ToT and making him ride it over and over and over and over...

Then I'll be sure to bring along my Big Book of Tower of Terror puns.

Bambi, you just make me fall in love with you over and over again!

 

[afwdwfan]

Don't worry buddy, it only cost $1.7 billion. And you only crashed it 7 times. But we will have to take that out of your allowance.

Only crashed it 7 times? Then he wasn't trying hard enough. Did he try to land it anyplace fun like on the beach or anything?

They also had an area where you could take control of mockups of the Mars Rovers. While driving, you only got to see them on the TV screen. The actual rovers were on the ground level, about 50 feet away.

Too bad you can't control one on Mars. Still pretty cool though. Probably a shorter line than those boats at the park too.

I tried to get the kids to have them fight Battle Bots style

I can't believe you had to suggest this to them. You must not be doing a good job teaching them about cool things like needless destruction.

The kids also had fun in a mock up of an Apollo capsule in take off orientation. Yeah, I said the kids had fun. It's up to you to determine the scope of the word "kids".

I thought that had been established during the swing update.

Because you don't want to get up there to install a new science rack and realize you built the rack and inch too large.

D'oh! That's an expensive mistake. Now how does that saying go? Is it measure twice, cut once or measure once, cut twice?

The last stop on the tour was their Saturn V building, along with several other rockets from generations past.

What creates a higher G force at takeoff? The Saturn V or your van?

The tram guide explained that NASA had donated that land to the Houston Public School's Future Farmers of America program.

On a positive not, longhorns make great neighbors. They don't complain about the noise when you play with rockets.

We arrived back at the center, and like any good tourist, bought the photo package. It was pretty cool, though, because they did some kind of 3D treatment to the photo of in front of the ISS.

Oh, so instead of going to Houston to get your picture taken in Florida, you went to Houston and got your picture taken in space. Yeah, that will make you seem a lot less senile.

And since Evan did such a bang up job on the shuttle landing simulator, we decided to give him a crash course on the real thing. (Check that out - two puns for the price one!)

I can't decide whether to be impressed or disappointed.

 

[KatMark]

I did start laughing when I read that Mark thought it was torture device. I had fun thoughts of dragging him to ToT and making him ride it over and over and over and over...

Bambi, you just make me fall in love with you over and over again!

Suck up!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A stark contrast to Kennedy - which is about as far away from any civilization as you can get.

Having just been to Kennedy, it was interesting to look at your pictures and note some of the similarities in exhibits, too.

(And here's a travel tip for you if you do decide to come to Houston and visit the Space Center - buy your tickets online before you come. We saved 50%!)

Here's Madison attempting to land the Space Shuttle. In a blue sundress - just like the real astronauts!

Hmmm. I don't remember seeing those astronaut pictures.

Don't worry buddy, it only cost $1.7 billion. And you only crashed it 7 times. But we will have to take that out of your allowance.

Sounds like it was about equal to his future college costs.

I tried to get the kids to have them fight Battle Bots style, but they explained that these were not toys, but instruments of learning to further their interest in science, math, engineering, and space exploration.*

*You don't actually think my kids said that, do you?

There were several signs around telling us that we would be actually in Johnson Space Center and security regulations required that all visitors be photographed. And rather that have everyone slowly walk past a camera, they grouped your traveling party in front of a green screen and took your picture there. Then, at the end of tour, they had a nice souvenir photo package that you could buy, showing your family at Mission Control, outside the JSC, in front of the International Space Station - and here's the kicker - standing in front of a Space Shuttle on the launch pad. Which is at Kennedy Space Center. In Florida.

Hmmm...Something seems a little "off" here.

This is the place that was in charge of all space flight activity from the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions all the way through the first half or so of the Space Shuttle missions. A new, more technologically advanced Mission Control was built and this was dedicated as National Historic Landmark.

Very cool!

Can you imagine trying to land a man on the moon with a rotary phone?

Amazing. One of my favorite parts of Apollo 13 is when they have to build a new air filter and the guy dumps all the random junk on the table and announces, "We have to make this...fit into the hole for this...using nothing but this." NASA engineers are amazing.

Hey kids! This thing cost $185 million (adjusted for inflation, 2011 cost is $1.11 billion) Pretty impressive piece of history, huh?

Um...ok...

Finally, we strolled through the gift shop, where these caught my eye. Yes, those are official NASA/Johnson Space Center compasses. Because when you're in space and outside of Earth's magnetic field, you always need to know which way is North.

 

[dvczerfs]

ok, im caught back up. great updates barry!!! your kids have more nerve than me, you wouldnt catch me on that thing!!! great pics of ksc. i havnt been there in years, dw thinks its boring. it looks realy cool now, maybe i can con her to go back.

 

[Lucille1963]

Loving this trip report! I can't wait to see what happens next!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I would have been doing/saying the same as Bambi. You go lucky this time, boy-o!

I still maintain that I did nothing wrong.

No way would you get my husband on that.

That was pretty cool. You can see just how close you are to the roads in the Google Satellite Image below. The ferris wheel is the blueish disk just above the "Mem" in Memorial Dr. With I-45 being elevated, you load the wheel below the street level, then rise about 40' or so above it. As the wheel turns, it's like you're heading right at the northbound traffic.

Okay...that was even bad for you!

Thank you!

I'm replying to the "last" update and you're putting up a new one.

Nice tour of the space center; I'm not much of a space buff, but DH is and he would probably relaly like that. The kids looked like they had a blast.

They did. They're still too young to really grasp what any of it means, but that's OK - they will some day.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Great update Barry! A lot of neat history there at the Johnson Space Center.

Thanks! It was fun seeing that and comparing/contrasting it to what we saw at Kennedy.

Wow, those look like fun!

I have a feeling they really don't do anything. A few engineers were bored one day and starting thinking "how can we mess with the visitors up in the observation deck?"

It wasn't easy for NASA to solve their number 1, and number 2 problem.

NASA rule #41: No Baked Beans on the Space Station.

Great update. NASA is alot of fun even without the kids.... Our college honor society chose to go their for our trip. Just give us chocolate covered expresso beans and off we go....

That sounds like a great trip!

Can't wait to see what you say about the water in galveston and to see if you got to see all the jellyfish that like it there....lol

I should have that up this afternoon. Here's a preview: it wasn't good.

Bambi is gonna get you !!!

I saw that too, but forgot to comment on it. I appear to be slowly pulling each and every one of you into my demented sense of humor.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Great updates Can't wait to hear about your visit to Galveston, were ya'll able to stop by Kemah also? It's a really fun place to visit with the kids too.

I don't want to spoil the surprise, but no, we didn't make it to Kemah. It's on our "next visit" list, though!

After spending the night at JSC visitors center during teacher overnight's I had gotten a little burned out on Space Center Houston. Looks like they've added some new things to the center and the tour. My girls are probably old enough to have some fun. Its hard to go back to the crowds when you've played with all the "toys" at SCH at 2 AM while with maybe 10 others awake.

Wow! You just topped kaileighbug's trip! I could just imagine how much I would nerd out there if we had it to ourselves all night!

Great report so far! I've always wanted to go to the Downtown Aquarium and Nasa.

Can't wait for your Galveston report. My MIL lives there, and we have future plans, within a decade to move there. We love Galveston.

Thanks! For $6 parking and $15 all day wristbands the Aquarium can be a fairly cheap day of fun!
I'm sure Galveston is really nice on most days. We were not there on most days.

 

[All7OfUs]

Awesome, amazing, stupendous update!! And far more witty than I'd ever be on a Monday morning. I'll leave the yuk factor to Mark and Glenn today, and just say, I your update was a blast to read today.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I have learned to ignore Barry's I can ignore others. The big problem is that Barry can't just write them he has to point them out to everyone.

I don't want someone to overlook one and miss out on the fun!

Then I'll be sure to bring along my Big Book of Tower of Terror puns.

Did you have up lifting experience or was it a bit of a let down?

Only crashed it 7 times? Then he wasn't trying hard enough. Did he try to land it anyplace fun like on the beach or anything?

Nah, but he did buzz some Indiana corn fields. <-That may look like a tomato, but it's a Space Shuttle

Too bad you can't control one on Mars. Still pretty cool though. Probably a shorter line than those boats at the park too.

If anyone can get Spirit unstuck from that hole, it's my kids. Of course, they'd probably roll it blow it up while doing it...

I thought that had been established during the swing update.

D'oh! That's an expensive mistake. Now how does that saying go? Is it measure twice, cut once or measure once, cut twice?

I'll bet NASA can't wait until someone builds an ACE hardware in orbit. Then they can just hop in a Soyuz and make a parts run.

What creates a higher G force at takeoff? The Saturn V or your van?

I just put new tires on the van this weekend. I suppose I could put the old ones back on make it a bit more of an even race.

On a positive not, longhorns make great neighbors. They don't complain about the noise when you play with rockets.

I'll bet in a few years they'll have figured out how to burn the manure as rocket fuel. Something tells me those launches won't be as well attended.

I can't decide whether to be impressed or disappointed.

Who says you can't be both?

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Suck up!

Perhaps, but when I get to simultaneously get to suck to Bambi and make fun of Mark - you bet I'm taking that opportunity.

Having just been to Kennedy, it was interesting to look at your pictures and note some of the similarities in exhibits, too.

I did it just for you.

Hmmm. I don't remember seeing those astronaut pictures.

They Photoshop in those Orange Jumpsuits because John Glenn didn't like the way his hair legs looked. True story.

Hmmm...Something seems a little "off" here.

You smell that too, huh?

Very cool!

I really was. Sometimes the tour will take you through the current Mission Control. That would be neat to see too!

Amazing. One of my favorite parts of Apollo 13 is when they have to build a new air filter and the guy dumps all the random junk on the table and announces, "We have to make this...fit into the hole for this...using nothing but this." NASA engineers are amazing.

That scene is pretty cool. Is that what you do all day, though? Your boss comes in with a map and a piece of asphalt and says "we need to make this...fit in here...while leaning on a shovel."

ok, im caught back up. great updates barry!!! your kids have more nerve than me, you wouldnt catch me on that thing!!! great pics of ksc. i havnt been there in years, dw thinks its boring. it looks realy cool now, maybe i can con her to go back.

Thanks Dave!

Loving this trip report! I can't wait to see what happens next!

Thank you! Hopefully you won't have to wait long!*

*Don't quote me on that, though.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Awesome, amazing, stupendous update!! And far more witty than I'd ever be on a Monday morning. I'll leave the yuk factor to Mark and Glenn today, and just say, I your update was a blast to read today.

Thank you. And I see I have another convert.

 

[that's nice]

I'm such a good nemesis that I was 'only' 5 pages behind on your TR!

I will add that I read all the posts.... I mean I had to see how many times Bambi had to correct you. I was kinda disappointed when both of you teamed up to make fun of Mark and his fear of ToT!

Hey Tim - you think you can add balancing on a board on a ball while hula hooping to your list of tricks?

Hula Hooping is easy!!!!! Balancing on a board while doing it- I never thought of that. Maybe I need to get me one of those balancing boards.

I NEED one of those Homer shirts with the headphones on though... that is AWESOME!

After a bit in the fountains, we had some hotdogs & slushies from their snack stand. It was then on to another ride on the Ferris Wheel, where the kids asked me to hold their slushies.

So this is what you learned in college?




Great updates... you guys sure had a busy trip! The NASA update was great!

 

[All7OfUs]

That scene is pretty cool. Is that what you do all day, though? Your boss comes in with a map and a piece of asphalt and says "we need to make this...fit in here...while leaning on a shovel."

Thanks, I needed a good snort laugh this morning!

Thank you. And I see I have another convert.

And I was wondering if you'd catch it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

That scene is pretty cool. Is that what you do all day, though? Your boss comes in with a map and a piece of asphalt and says "we need to make this...fit in here...while leaning on a shovel."

Yes, but the scene doesn't end there. We respond, "Can you come back later? I've almost beaten Call of Duty."

I will add that I read all the posts.... I mean I had to see how many times Bambi had to correct you. I was kinda disappointed when both of you teamed up to make fun of Mark and his fear of ToT!

We need to correct this. It's not fear. I did ride it, you know. It's more utter hatred. Now can we please get back to making fun of Barry?

Thanks, I needed a good snort laugh this morning!

Don't encourage him!

 

[All7OfUs]

Double post- gotta love Explorer...