Kennedy Space Center

In the time we have owned SUMMERTIME, we have passed by NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex four times. Hanging on a mooring ball in Titusville, we could see the buildings across the Intracoastal Waterway on Merritt Island. We could only imagine what it must be like. With time for side trips built in to our Great Loop Tour, this fifth visit to the Space Coast was perfect for a visit. Thanks to our beloved Enterprise rental car, we were able to get the 18 miles from the city marina to the space center and back. You no doubt remember that our car is tucked away in Largo until next November. Since we are travelers, not tourists, this leap into a Disney-like atmosphere was monumental... starting with the price of the ticket. Adults $50.00 each! The Senior Discount offered $4.00 off per ticket, so our admission fee was reduced to $92.00 dollars. Whew. We began in the Rocket Garden with the actual rockets from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs towering above us. A docent led us through the stories of early spaceflight. Next we boarded a bus that whisked us off to the Apollo/SaturnV Center with a drive-by of an operational launch pad and the Vehicle Assembly Building. This building is the largest one-story building in the world for height and volume, tall enough and wide enough to hold the Empire State Building. When the doors opened to reveal the mighty Saturn V rocket, she cleared with 13 1/2 inches to spare... the largest rocket ever flown! Our favorite dramatic moment was when the IMAX-like movie of the shuttle/orbiter Atlantis paused... a hazy impression of Atlantis appeared... and as the gauzy curtain lifted, there was the legendary treasure floating gracefully in midair with every scar and scratch from her 126 million miles of space travel exposed. This moment alone was worth the price of the ticket!