Cape Canaveral: Lift Off!

On the last weekend in may of 2008, we headed off to Florida with tickets in hand to watch the launch of the shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center. We used Thursday night and Friday morning to make the drive down, taking our time to stop off at Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach as well. In New Smyrna we stopped for some great burgers at Breakers, right on the beach. After filling up, we headed a little further south to the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. Most of the areas were closed due to the next days launch, but we were able to park in a parking lot just off the main Turtlemound Road.

Walking over the dunes to the beach, we were excited to get into the water. The beach was shaped into quite a steep slope, and the power of the water was immense. Each wave lifted us into the air, and, quite often hurled us a bit up the beach. Jake was having the time of his life. I, however, was quickly tired, and was further discouraged by the seaweed in the water, and before long, inside my suit. Finally I was too exhausted to be sporting any longer, and we returned to our belongings on the beach. As we headed back towards one of the dune crossings, we noticed several men down the beach, who, though a little too far away to tell for sure, appeared to believe it was a nude beach. Apparently this happens sometimes in this area when the beaches are not crowded. After showering and changing, we were ready to continue on.

Having our fill of the beach life, we continued south hoping to spot some manatees at a viewing platform located at the Haulover Canal, carved through the isthmus north of the land mass occupied primarily by the NASA launching and landing facilities. When we arrived, the sun was near to setting and the water was inky and impenetrable. We had all but given up when we did witness a manatee spouting, but it was gone before we could really fix our eyes on it. A little disappointed, we returned to the car and, finding the road to the south blocked due to the next days shuttle launch, took the long way around to Titusville. In Titusville we hunted out a spot for dinner, being across the water from the very brightly lit shuttle, waiting patiently on its launch pad. The place we found was Paul's Smokehouse, where Jake tried a swordfish steak, and I stuck to the regular kind. The food was OK, but not fantastic.

The next morning, we woke early and returned to the viewing platform to continue our hunt for a manatee. We spent long minutes waiting and searching the murky green water, and had just given up when a dolphin swam into the channel. He entertained us in the way dolphins will, and we spotted a large moon jelly swimming/floating in the channel. The dolphin continued to circle in the area, and then, suddenly right beneath the railing of the platform we saw a manatee! She was moving along the bank, stirring up its muddy edge as she grazed on what water plants were growing there, She moved up and down the bank, creating distinctive pairs of smooth spots in the water above her whenever she moved close to the surface. They were like a shadow of flatness above her, created by the gentle down current as she flicked her tail and sank lower again. As she moved away from the bank, we watched her come to the surface briefly a few times to breath. Finally, and she and her dolphin herald moved on.

Finally, it was time to head to the space center, to enjoy the complex and watch the launch. We joined the long line of cars moving into the parking lot, and used our tickets to get through the gates. We arrived just minutes to late to take the last bus leaving on a tour of the facilities, which was a real shame, because it represented out only chance to get fairly close to the shuttle before launch. This made me a little angry, since we had waited to arrive at the time that our parking ticket said we should, and therefore missed out on this opportunity. Still, there were plenty of other things to see and do at the complex. We watched an 3d IMAX movie filmed in space which was my first ever, and was really very moving. We visited an interactive show where a few mad scientists educated the kids. It was perhaps a little too childish, even for us. We went on a simulation of blast off, which was fun, and another "ride" where we walked through hallways from one animatronic scene to the next. We also took some time to go into the shuttle they have set up, and examined some of the rockets placed around the area. Overall, the Kennedy space center is most worth visiting when there is a launch going on. It the day were not ended by that massive roar, I would have been rather disappointed by the experience.

Eventually the time did come, and from out location, which was not the best available due to my forgetfulness with regards to buying the tickets the day they went on sale, we could not see the shuttle where it sat on the platform, but there was a large outdoor monitor set up. As the clock ticked down, we waited in silence, then as the shuttle lifted off on screen, it became visible above it, almost as if the digital version had become reality. As the NASA chatter continued, the rocket climbed silently into the sky. Then came a dull vibration, the preliminary shock waves, which were felt rather than heard. Finally the sound reached out ears as the shuttle shot high into the air. We all continued to wait until the shuttle itself had made the separation, then cheered as a group with childish delight. STS 124 had successfully launched. You can find out more about the mission HERE. There aren't too many things which inspire a sense of patriotic pride in me, but this is definitely one of them. The shuttles only have a little more time left before they are replaced by a new launch system, so see it while you can.

The next day, we returned to the space center, as our tickets provided a 2 day pass. This time we took the bus tour, and witnessed the now empty launch pad and the now crushed stone that had shouldered the weight of the shuttle as it was moved from the
assembly building to the launch pad. Here we also checked out a Saturn V rocket, massive when compared to what is used to launch today. Then we continued on to see the landing strips for the shuttles, before returning to the space center. As a bonus, along the way we saw roseate spoonbills, ibis, and wood storks. After the bus tour, we stopped by the Astronaut Hall of Fame, a separate facility, included in the Kennedy Space Center admission. As we waited to enter, we were asked to join a tour, since they had room. We did, at first thinking it was a free tour provided by the museum, then realizing it was a commercial tour group. I can only wonder how those who had paid for the tour must have felt. The leader did provide some good info, but was mostly looking to entertain. And he kept referring to himself as the bad boy of dolphin tours. That was a little strange. Eventually we had to go, and returning to the car began the long drive home.

Overall, the wildlife and beaches here are beautiful, and the space center is the go to place for a hands on feel for the history that has happened here. But nothing beats timing a visit here to coincide with a launch.