If you haven’t visited Kennedy Space Center

Jan 25

it should be on your bucket list. This is especially true if you are our age because we have lived through most of the events exhibited there. I am not really a space geek, but I still find it to be incredibly moving, educational and fun. It is amazing to see how big some of the rockets are and how small some of the actual astronaut capsules were. You can actually look inside the Atlantis space shuttle and, this week, see Artemis on the launch pad. Most of all, in these crazy times, it reminds you of what it is like to be proud to be an American. Here are just a few of the highlights from our two mornings at KSC.

Remember, you can click on an image to view it full screen.

My favorite rocket in the rocket garden.

Command center for the first Mercury launch. Note the rotary phones.

Some of the members of the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

The Moon Tree Garden - one of my favorites.

Apollo Command module - the only piece that returned to earth.

There is a plaque for each mission. Gus Grissom's quote is chilling.

The Space Shuttles.

Atlantis, the last shuttle, last flew in 2011.

Debris from Challenger and Columbia.

Artemis on the launch pad, to the Moon and beyond . . .

From our base at Manatee Hammock campground, we also got to watch the launch of a SpaceX rocket. Sorry no photos. And, we spent several mornings and afternoons exploring Orlando Wetlands and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This Great Blue Heron amused us for a half hour at Orlando Wetlands, flying into the brush next to us, selecting a branch, walking out with it and then flying off to his nest.