Day 5: Today is the second day at KSC, and I particularly looked forward to today as I will meet a genuine astronaut. But before that would happen I had time to visit the Imax theater and watch two great movies, one about Apollo 17 and the last man on the moon, and the other one was all about the images from the Hubble and James Web space telescopes. Seeing all these stars, galaxies, and nebulae on a big screen is impressive and just makes you wonder about the many many stars that must have similar planets like Earth orbiting them, and what kind of life would we find (or they find us).
The other main interest of today was to see the actual Space shuttle Atlantis. This Space shuttle flew on 33 missions and you can clearly see the scars on the outside from reentry into Earth’s atmosphere that many times. The whole Shuttle program is a story on its own, including the loss of Challenger and Columbia and their crew. For an extensive read on the Shuttle program, I suggest going here: Space Shuttle – NASA
So at 2 PM, we gathered with a small group of enthusiasts for lunch with Mike Baker, the astronaut of the day. Mike turned out to be a great guy with a very interesting history and a long time at NASA and other space organisations. He was on 4 Space Shuttle missions: STS-43,52,68 and 81. He even was so kind as to sign the book I brought along 😊. We had a few kids in the group and they asked so many questions, it was great to see their enthusiasm and I think they will all end up as future scientists or even astronauts.
The way they designed, redesigned, and deployed the Shuttle over 135 missions from April 12, 1981, to the final landing on July 21, 2011, is a very interesting story. And Mike Baker played a big part in this whole process. As one of his assignments, he worked in 1986 as part of the team that redesigned and improved the Shuttle landing and deceleration systems, including nosewheel steering, brakes, tires and drag chute in an effort to provide greater safety margins during landing and rollout. I just think he was making sure that if he ever flew in the Shuttle he had a good chance to get home safely 😊.
All in all I had a great two days at the KSC, if you ever want to visit this site make sure you book at least 2 days. There is a lot to see and do! Here are a few images of the day, as always let me know what you think.
Amazing !!! In the boundless tapestry of the cosmos, we embark on a timeless journey, threading our curiosity through the celestial fabric of the unknown
Ik geniet dat je zo geniet. En ga in gedachten door al je fantastische verhalen terug naar 2011 toen ik het zelf van dichtbij mocht zien. Ik kan niet wachten om met onze kids te gaan om ze de wondere wereld van de ruimtevaart te laten zien ❤️
🥰🥰
Wat n geweldige dag weer!!!
Wij hebben recent de film Hidden Figures gekeken,met Kevin Kosner,goeie film,en moesten daar meteen aan denken,en hoe onbegrijpelijk het allemaal is.Geniet er nog van.liefs xxx
Wat n geweldige dag weer!!!
Wij hebben recent de film Hidden Figures gekeken,met Kevin Kosner,goeie film,en moesten daar meteen aan denken,en hoe onbegrijpelijk het allemaal is.Geniet er nog van.liefs xxx
Nog niet gezien dus die gaat op de To-see lijst 🙂
Unbelievable stuff and happy to hear you are having the time of your life!
Mike Baker sound interesting as well and I would hang on every word he shares. Great images
Thanks