Day 6
Based on Neville's suggestions, I've decided to eplore the Huntsville Rocket
and Space Museum. What a wonderful suggestion. Little did I know how much
Huntsville was involved in the evolution of American rocketry and it's role
in the Apollo program. I remember being a kid sitting on the living room floor
in pajamas watching TV broadcasts related to the Gemini program. Not much as
changed since then. I am still fascinated by any aspect of rocketry and space
exploration in general. The museum portion of the Huntsville space center
is first and foremost a tribute to Werner Von Braun, the German rocket
scientist who immigrated to the US at the end of WW II. Von Braun made
Huntsville his home as much of the US ballistic missile research was happening
at the Redstone arsenal. Goddard is rightfully featured as well, but the guiding
force behind the Saturn (1,1B, and V) rockets was Von Braun. The Saturn V
has the distinction of being the only rocket ever produced that never failed.
That's saying a lot. (I'm not forgetting about the Apollo launch pad fire that
killed 3 astronauts, but that was not a rocket failure, the capsule was
technically the payload).
There are two Saturn 5 rockets on display; one fully assembled mounted upright, and one on it's side with each of the stages separated. I'm not sure if the one mounted upright is just a full scale model or if it is the real deal, but I tell ya, it is an awesome sight. Not the "California awesome" which is used to describe such miracles as hub caps that spin independently of the wheels they are attached to, but rather the "awesome" that leads to your mouth hanging open just a bit as your head tilts back, eyes scanning upward, as you struggle to comprehend just how enormous and powerful this beast was. Then imagining the courage it took to sit atop this candle and ride it into space. Jim Lovell said (of the first lunar landing), "And it's not a miracle, we just decide to go".
The space center itself has a lot of cool stuff inside and out. Outside, a "rocket garden" with 20 or so rockets from the early Redstone series through the Saturn 5 and a full scale mockup of Skylab used in underwater training. Inside was the Apollo 16 capsule, a LEM (trainer), lunar vehicle, and a ton of other cools stuff. I saw two IMAX shows that day; Walking on the moon and Red Flag. Perhaps the most fun was the shuttle simulator which I had to fight the kids to get into. Neville: Thanks for the suggestion to visit this place ... and I'll happily challenge you to a simulator competition. We have one in NH just 30 miles from my home, so I get a lot of practice :)
Tomorrow is memorial day. I couldn't find anyone to meet so I will push on to Santa Fe, NM. Just under 1,000 nm. Not sure if it will be three legs or two. Two legs would be right on edge of my arrow's endurance.
There are two Saturn 5 rockets on display; one fully assembled mounted upright, and one on it's side with each of the stages separated. I'm not sure if the one mounted upright is just a full scale model or if it is the real deal, but I tell ya, it is an awesome sight. Not the "California awesome" which is used to describe such miracles as hub caps that spin independently of the wheels they are attached to, but rather the "awesome" that leads to your mouth hanging open just a bit as your head tilts back, eyes scanning upward, as you struggle to comprehend just how enormous and powerful this beast was. Then imagining the courage it took to sit atop this candle and ride it into space. Jim Lovell said (of the first lunar landing), "And it's not a miracle, we just decide to go".
The space center itself has a lot of cool stuff inside and out. Outside, a "rocket garden" with 20 or so rockets from the early Redstone series through the Saturn 5 and a full scale mockup of Skylab used in underwater training. Inside was the Apollo 16 capsule, a LEM (trainer), lunar vehicle, and a ton of other cools stuff. I saw two IMAX shows that day; Walking on the moon and Red Flag. Perhaps the most fun was the shuttle simulator which I had to fight the kids to get into. Neville: Thanks for the suggestion to visit this place ... and I'll happily challenge you to a simulator competition. We have one in NH just 30 miles from my home, so I get a lot of practice :)
Tomorrow is memorial day. I couldn't find anyone to meet so I will push on to Santa Fe, NM. Just under 1,000 nm. Not sure if it will be three legs or two. Two legs would be right on edge of my arrow's endurance.