Spring Break 2014 - Part 3 - Kennedy Space Center!

The next day, on the other hand, was awesome.  I think we all really enjoyed the Kennedy Space Center.  It was just so cool.  It's hard to put into words really, and the pictures don't do it justice.  We spent pretty much all day there, but only saw a fraction of what there was to see and do.

We took a bus tour to go out of the main visitor center and see some of the working center.  We saw the Vehicle Assembly Building, which is just massive.  The photo does not do it justice.  As I recall he said the American flag painted on the side is 22 stories tall.

We got to see the launch sites, which were also really big and quite cool.  We got to see alligators on the bus trip too - apparently the Kennedy Space Center is lousy with alligators and we got to see some lounging in the ditches and such.

Then we went to the Saturn V center.  They have done a really nice job with this exhibit.  You watch a series of short movies about the Saturn V rockets and get to see the footage of one launching, along with seeing the actual terminals where people sat during the launch.

Then you walked into the building further to see the actual Saturn V.  It's really hard to describe just how massive this thing is.  Perhaps the next two pictures give some idea.

There were lots of other things to look at here, and we did.  And we apparently didn't take any pictures of it.   Then we headed back to the visitor center area to look at the Atlantis exhibit.

 This is a new exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center, and it is just amazing.  They have done such a beautiful and impressive job with this exhibit.  You enter into a smallish room where you are surrounded on three sides and above with movie screens.  You watch maybe an 8 minute video or so about the space shuttle program.  The video itself is quite interesting, and it ends with footage of the first space shuttle launch (incidentally, my family saw the first space shuttle launch when I was 6 on a visit to Florida, so I've always felt a certain ownership of the space shuttle program).  The footage ends and then the front screen slowly becomes more transparent and you can see the actual shuttle beyond.  I wish I had gotten a picture of Stian's face at this point.  His eyes were like saucers and his chin was dropped to his chest.  He whispered to me "is that the REAL shuttle?!"  (I confess I was a little teary and amazed at this point myself - this was all really well done).  Then the screen lifted and we could walk out and see the shuttle itself.

I had been worried that a trip to Disney at this stage would make Silje princess obsessed as so many girls her age are.  I guess in that regard the rain was a good thing, because she didn't see many princesses.  She sure liked the space stuff though.  And she told me when we were at the Kennedy Space Center she wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up (of course later, during the cruise she told me she wanted to be a dancer after the seeing the productions on the show, but at least she wanted to be an astronaut for a little while!)

 I'm not sure what Grandpa and Stian are looking at in this picture - some sort of simulation?  This might have been when I went to the gift show to load up on t-shirts and hats and patches.

I think we all loved the Kennedy Space Center.  I know the four of us did.  After we were done there we drove to Cocoa, which is right near by, to visit some cousins - Carol and Bill and their son Marcus and his wife and little boy.  I haven't seen them in years and it was fun to hang out for a little while.  Unfortunately we didn't seem to get any pictures of that, however.  

Just as an aside, my parents had rented a house in Kissimmee that we stayed in.  It had room for all of us and a pool and a hot tub.  It was pretty awesome.  Silje and I shared a bed and this how she slept most nights though!  The little bed hog.  And notice her Minnie Mouse doll off to the left.  That was her souvenir from Disney.  She would whisper Minnie secrets before falling asleep.