bengunn
Pirate Member
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2001
- Messages
- 375
Day 11 Kennedy Space Centre
Previous episodes:
Prequel
Day 1 The trip to Orlando
Day 2 Animal Kingdom
Day 3 Magic Kingdom
Day 4 Typhoon Lagoon, Shopping and Illuminations Cruise
Day 5 - Islands of Adventure
Day 6 Epcot
Day 7 Seaworld
Day 8 Universal Studios
Day 9 Epcot and the Magic Kingdom
Day 10 Discovery Cove
The Cast:
Richard (bengunn): Chief planner
Kathy : DW, just wants to go on holiday
Josie : DD 20, at Reading University, Assistant Planner, not very good at getting up
Sam : DS 17, just done AS exams, can get up very quickly when he wants to
Monday 26th August
Kathy and I went out to Walmart early today to buy food, stamps and postcards; we also posted some postcards in the strange blue things that look like litter bins but which I am assured are mail boxes.
We eventually left the villa at 09:55 but still got to the Kennedy Space Centre at 11:00; quite a quick journey really and no I was not speeding; the roads to KSC are quite fast with 60 and 70 mph speed limits in places. We joined the queue to buy tickets and then the queue for security checks (that one was quite quick), then we joined the queue for the bus tour (anyone noticing a pattern here?).
After quite a wait for the bus, we went to the viewing platform and climbed up and had a good look at the shuttle launch pads; no shuttles though as they were sorting out their cracked fuel lines. On the bus again and the next stop was the new Saturn V building; when we were last here, the Saturn V was just out in the open. This is a great improvement and we spent ages here; lots of information to read and things to look at.
We had lunch in the Saturn V building; 3 pepperoni pizzas, 1 burger and fries, 1 cookie and 4 sodas in souvenir cups cost $36.42 not too bad for a captive audience and the food was pretty good.
After lunch, we finished looking at the Saturn V exhibits and then had the amazing opportunity to talk to a retired NASA engineer who had been Chief Engineer (Spacecraft) for the whole period from the Mercury programme to the Moon landings; he was very interesting to talk to and is part of a new arrangement to let you talk to people involved in the space programme.
Next we watched a film about the Moon landings which was great as it was all before the childrens time but Kathy and I remember getting up early as teenagers to watch Neil Armstrong take the first steps on the Moon.
The space station building was still off limits so we caught the bus back to the main centre. A thunderstorm was just starting as we went into the Imax cinema; we saw the Space Station 3D film which was amazing.
After the film, the rain had stopped and we went into the exhibition about the future of space travel (Exploration in the New Millennium). This was quite interesting and we spent a while there.
It was now about 17:00 and getting near to closing time so we had a look around the much improved Rocket Garden which had only recently reopened. They have mock-ups of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules which you can get inside; it really gives you a good idea of how little room those early astronauts had. The rockets are also interesting and frighteningly primitive looking.
The centre closed at 17:30 and we eventually left at 17:45, feeling that we could have easily spent another half day or more there.
On the way back, we stopped at the IHOP in Kissimmee; a T bone steak, a pot roast and a sandwich plus drinks for $28. All huge portions and included both salad and vegetables. Josie was not at all hungry and had only had a drink.
After dinner, we played mini-golf at the Pirates Cove (? I think) which was on I192 just by our turn off. This course was very well looked after and was a great way to round off the day.
I cant remember what time we got back to the villa but it was probably about 21:00. The notes were a bit thin for today but I think that was mostly because we spent a lot of time at a few exhibits at KSC.
Tomorrow: Disney MGM Studios
Previous episodes:
Prequel
Day 1 The trip to Orlando
Day 2 Animal Kingdom
Day 3 Magic Kingdom
Day 4 Typhoon Lagoon, Shopping and Illuminations Cruise
Day 5 - Islands of Adventure
Day 6 Epcot
Day 7 Seaworld
Day 8 Universal Studios
Day 9 Epcot and the Magic Kingdom
Day 10 Discovery Cove
The Cast:
Richard (bengunn): Chief planner
Kathy : DW, just wants to go on holiday
Josie : DD 20, at Reading University, Assistant Planner, not very good at getting up
Sam : DS 17, just done AS exams, can get up very quickly when he wants to
Monday 26th August
Kathy and I went out to Walmart early today to buy food, stamps and postcards; we also posted some postcards in the strange blue things that look like litter bins but which I am assured are mail boxes.
We eventually left the villa at 09:55 but still got to the Kennedy Space Centre at 11:00; quite a quick journey really and no I was not speeding; the roads to KSC are quite fast with 60 and 70 mph speed limits in places. We joined the queue to buy tickets and then the queue for security checks (that one was quite quick), then we joined the queue for the bus tour (anyone noticing a pattern here?).
After quite a wait for the bus, we went to the viewing platform and climbed up and had a good look at the shuttle launch pads; no shuttles though as they were sorting out their cracked fuel lines. On the bus again and the next stop was the new Saturn V building; when we were last here, the Saturn V was just out in the open. This is a great improvement and we spent ages here; lots of information to read and things to look at.
We had lunch in the Saturn V building; 3 pepperoni pizzas, 1 burger and fries, 1 cookie and 4 sodas in souvenir cups cost $36.42 not too bad for a captive audience and the food was pretty good.
After lunch, we finished looking at the Saturn V exhibits and then had the amazing opportunity to talk to a retired NASA engineer who had been Chief Engineer (Spacecraft) for the whole period from the Mercury programme to the Moon landings; he was very interesting to talk to and is part of a new arrangement to let you talk to people involved in the space programme.
Next we watched a film about the Moon landings which was great as it was all before the childrens time but Kathy and I remember getting up early as teenagers to watch Neil Armstrong take the first steps on the Moon.
The space station building was still off limits so we caught the bus back to the main centre. A thunderstorm was just starting as we went into the Imax cinema; we saw the Space Station 3D film which was amazing.
After the film, the rain had stopped and we went into the exhibition about the future of space travel (Exploration in the New Millennium). This was quite interesting and we spent a while there.
It was now about 17:00 and getting near to closing time so we had a look around the much improved Rocket Garden which had only recently reopened. They have mock-ups of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules which you can get inside; it really gives you a good idea of how little room those early astronauts had. The rockets are also interesting and frighteningly primitive looking.
The centre closed at 17:30 and we eventually left at 17:45, feeling that we could have easily spent another half day or more there.
On the way back, we stopped at the IHOP in Kissimmee; a T bone steak, a pot roast and a sandwich plus drinks for $28. All huge portions and included both salad and vegetables. Josie was not at all hungry and had only had a drink.
After dinner, we played mini-golf at the Pirates Cove (? I think) which was on I192 just by our turn off. This course was very well looked after and was a great way to round off the day.
I cant remember what time we got back to the villa but it was probably about 21:00. The notes were a bit thin for today but I think that was mostly because we spent a lot of time at a few exhibits at KSC.
Tomorrow: Disney MGM Studios
