Saturday, January 09, 2010

8th Jan-The Kennedy Space Centre and then to Indian Shores

We left the Hotel about 0830 and drove the 30 odd miles to the J F Kennedy Space Center which is where they launch all the rockets and people to the moon and beyond.
It is spread over many hundred's of acres and you are required to travel by bus to the main tourist visitor center for security reasons. Upon arrival we were subjected to a thorough bag search and also put through the metal detector looking for any dangerous items. The tour lasts about three hours and is well organized and you get to see all the main parts including the launch pad from about two miles away as well as going past the tallest single story building the world. The building has a US flag on the side and its largest painted US flag ever painted.

The Saturn rocket area is so impressive and also are all the supporting presentation areas with quite a number of short ( 8-10 minute) films explaining what happens prior to a rocket launch. A launch is planned in early February and the rocket and the shuttle was already attached and this is moved almost three miles along a path on a special carrier and this rocket et al weighs about 18 million pounds- Wow.. W
e then visited the IMAX 3D cinema and watched a film about moon walking (not the Michael Jackson one) but a film of previous moon walks and the film was very impressive. If you visit Florida this place is far better than any Disneyland side show.
After the most expensive Hot Dog ever, we headed off via Orlando in the direction of our friends who live in Indian shores on the West Coast. The weather at the moment is poor and we encountered rain and low cloud and the tops of buildings in Tampa were obscured by low flying cloud. We arrived with Adrian and Joyce around 6 pm and did a quick change and headed off the Clearwater Yacht Club for dinner with friends, some of who we had previously met on an earlier visit and others who joined the Bruges trip.
The band was playing and so Jennifer and I did a little dancing and we headed home just before midnight and really ready for bed. The weather tomorrow is due to be rain and cold, not good for Florida.