Roadtrip: Discover KSC

Last week after breakfast at our hotel in Cocoa Beach, we headed up the coast just a little ways to Kennedy Space Center. Thinking ahead, Rob had gone online a few days ahead of time to buy entrance tickets and tickets for the Discover KSC Tour. The line at the entrance for tickets was packed, so it was great to have the tickets in hand!

Launch Pad

We walked right over to the tour departure area and were soon on a tour bus that took us around the site. While Rob seemed to enjoy it, I was underwhelemed. The tour guide spewed a lot of hype about all the great things that NASA does, from protecting the wildlife around Cape Canaveral to advancements like teflon. The girls seemed to be mostly indifferent. We had three “photo op” stops that were nice breaks for us to get off the bus, despite the frigid temperatures. Chloe appreciated the coloring book and crayons that she was handed as she got on the bus.

Transport Vehicle path

Vehicle Assembly Building

The final stop was the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where we stood outside a big door for 20 minutes in the bitter cold, watched a movie for 10 and then another movie for 10. Forty minutes of forced standing was really pushing it, I think. The Center itself, once we were in, was interesting; however, by that time we were all very hungry and the only choice was the Moon Cafe, where there were twice as many diners as tables and very expensive greasy food (the girls, at least, ate yogurt). My egg salad wrap came with a bowl of minestrone soup — but the broth was beef! Seriously, beef?

Launch Control

Camille

After exploring the center and eating lunch on the floor, we took a bus back to the visitor’s center. Rob and Chloe chose to go on the Shuttle Launch Experience. I didn’t want to wait in the cold for twenty minutes for the ride, so Camille and I did some exploring. After the ride (on which Chloe reported that lots of people lost coins), we wandered over to the rocket garden. We could NOT get Chloe off the playground there; she loved it!

Rocket Garden