On assignment as a reporter, I drove right up to the rocket garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex east of Titusville. The rockets are permanently grounded, a garden of huge slim needles pointing to space.
Has your heart ever pounded at the thought of going where no one has gone before? Mine certainly has.
Kennedy Space Center where rockets rule
Sitting in my little Honda Civic looking up at the tall rockets I felt like a midget compared to these engineering marvels. And I wondered – a thousand years from now what will archaeologists think of this rocket graveyard they call a garden?
That first exhilarating look at space vehicles was back in the early 1980’s when it was still possible to drive right up to the rocket garden. Since then the Visitor Complex has indeed become complex, with many more buildings and a fence around everything.
You can’t’ get close to the rockets and all the other goodies like an IMAX theater without paying a $38 admission fee for adults or $28 for children ages three to 11 to get beyond the fence. Web site: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/
For those who like less expensive outings, just down the road in Titusville you’ll find some cool space memorials and seeing them is a free walk in the park.
Kennedy Space Center is close to Titusville that has cool, and free, space memorials
Kennedy Space Center – nearby space park in TItusville, hands
The U.S. Space Walk of Fame dedicated an Apollo Monument and had a 40th Apollo reunion on July 17. 2009. This is the latest addition to the Space Walk Park along downtown Titusville’s waterfront. The monument is a promenade walk, beautifully landscaped with statues and plaques. Astronauts had their hands cast and signed their names. History plaques tell of missions with magical names like Apollo, Neptune, and Gemini.
This is the latest addition to Space Walk Park. Across the street is another walk to commemorate Project Gemini. And next to that is Veteran’s Memorial Park, again with space memorials, this time to Project Mercury.
The U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation has been the prime mover for the Space Walk Park. They have a museum (free) at 4 Main Street, Titusville. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also open for launches and special events. Web site: http://spacewalkoffame.com/
I read, to my surprise, that this waterfront setting, the Veteran’s Memorial Park, is a prime viewing place for space launches. Look across the Indian River and there is the launch complex. The next space launching is set for Sept. 15 between 8 and 9 p.m. EDT. You can track the launch schedule at http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html
For a night launch, I’d recommend having dinner at Dixie Crossroads (try the rock shrimp and take it easy on the fritters, they’re really good) in Titusville (http://www.dixiecrossroads.com/) then head to the waterfront for a front row seat. Bug spray advised and do bring your camera.
True confession time: in the early 1980’s NASA was accepting applications from reporters. They were going to send a reporter into space, after first sending a teacher. I had the application and the go ahead to fill it out from both my editor and newspaper publisher. Then the Challenger disaster happened. That was the end of civilians in space for NASA.
Of course, I’m sure they wanted someone famous from the nightly news up there in space, not a small weekly newspaper reporter. But I would have gone in a heartbeat, notebook in one hand, camera in the other.
Space, the final frontier. I’m ready, let’s go!
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