February 19, 2009
Visit the Kennedy Space Center, Florida
For anyone who is enthusiastic or curious about space travel, past and present, a trip to the Kennedy Space Center a little west of Orlando will be a day out not to be forgotten. This isn't going to be a cheap day out, so make sure you check out in advance the current entrance fees plus any additional budget requirements for additional rides, etc just before you make your trip. Another thing to check in advance is the space shuttle launching schedule – what greater day could there be to go the space center then on a day you will see a shuttle actually take off? Of course, all shuttle schedules are subject to change so even if you arrange your trip to coincide with a scheduled take-off, it's not necessarily going to happen.
There's more to see at Kennedy Space Center than just the space shuttle launching however. There are exhibitions of rockets and spacecraft from the years when space travel was in its infancy. There are rides to simulate space travel for those with the nerve to try. There's the launching pad area where Apollo 11 was once launched placing men on the moon for the first time. There are tours of the site which are narrated and have photo stops. Two must see parts of the Kennedy Space Center experience however are the Imax theatre presentations (capture the thrill of a close-up launch in the "The Dream is Alive" feature), and then the Astronaut Encounter where an astronaut takes to the stage to talk about traveling in space, and also answer questions from the audience – a great experience for any families who have a budding astronaut in their party!
Kennedy Space Center isn't a theme park but rather a working site that allows visitors a glimpse into the romance, and work, of space flight, as well as an up close and personal insight into the many things that come together in that moment when a space shuttle launches. In an area known for thrills and spills of a manufactured kind, Kennedy is a real life thrill that you can experience without your feet leaving the ground!
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