Not since the 1970s has the space race been as sizzling hot as it is right this minute. As I write this at 11:02 a.m. on Sept. 15, it’s T-09:00:00 and counting until blastoff of the SpaceX Inspiration4 rocket with four civilian astronauts on board.
Cape Canaveral, home of NASA and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, is the epicenter of 21st century space action. Yet, so many of us living a short drive away have never witnessed the spectacle of a launch so close up that the earth tremors can rattle our bones. Our kids haven’t climbed up a wormhole, slid through an asteroid field, crawled through the tunnels of the International Space Station, or repaired a satellite with robotic arms. And that’s a crying shame.
The adrenaline starts for me right in the parking lot, where the skyline is a cityscape of rocket ships. Then there’s the 26-foot countdown clock, the giant NASA globe, and a stunning fountain wall from which the voice of President John F. Kennedy is proclaiming, “We choose to go to the moon … and do these other things. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” I’m totally psyched.
My first stop is the brand new multi- story Planet Play, where kids 2 to 12 are cavorting through a neon-infused galaxy, racing simulated Mars Rovers, crawling through a black hole portal, making artful space shuttles, walking on the rings of Saturn, hopping across constellations in the Milky Way, and playing interactive space games. One enthusiastic little guest shows up in a full helmeted spacesuit. Of course, it could be a miniature space alien in disguise.
Next: Journey to Mars Explorers Wanted, an immersion into Deep Space exploration of Mars, asteroids, and the moon. There are replicas of all the rovers, plus simulators and exciting explorer games. It’s here that I meet the Space Center’s friendly ambassador, Space Person, doing socially distant photo ops.
Kids apparently love the Shuttle Launch Experience replicating the motion and sound sensations of a real blastoff. Nope, not for me, thanks.
Along with the wow factor, it’s clear that one mission of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and its partner, NASA, is to inspire careers in space science from a young age. So many exhibits and shows are like a STEM program on rocket fuel. That child waving at Space Person today may someday continue the breakthrough work of the space program, not only as an astronaut or astrophysicist but also in the search for cancer cures, robotic surgery, solar energy monitoring, natural disaster response, food security, and protection of our planet.
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Even the jaw-dropping full-size replica of the twin solid rocket boosters with an external tank roughly the size of an eight-story building can’t compare with the real life orbiter spacecraft we’re about to see inside. The massive travel-scarred Space Shuttle Atlantis, designed to “launch like a rocket and land like a glider” provides another adrenaline moment. Enveloped in dramatic space-blue lighting and displayed at eye level, that would have been enough. But there also are scores of interactive astronaut games, displays, and activities including the super-fun ISS experience, plus a poignant gallery honoring the astronauts lost on the Columbia and Challenger missions.
The Eagle has Landed
A 3-mile bus ride takes us through NASA security on Merritt Island to the Apollo/Saturn V Center to ooh and aah over the colossal Saturn V: the largest rocket ever launched. The 353-foot rocket supported most of the Apollo moon missions. Suspended in space alongside it are emblems of each mission and its astronauts. Below it is the Apollo 14 command module, and there’s a life-size replica of the moonscape where Buzz Aldrin announced, “The Eagle has landed” and Neil Armstrong took “one giant leap for mankind.”
Besides Apollo memorabilia (like boots still covered in moon dust) there are riveting multimedia shows on the famous Apollo 11 and Apollo 8 missions. A touristy photo booth in the hangar offers semi-authentic photos of us floating in zero gravity inside the International Space Station. Yes, of course we bought the package. And yes, we ended our day at the Milky Way Ice Cream Shop.
The complex is accessible compliant and offers autism sensitive services. Several extra packages are available, like personalized astronaut training and VIP launch passes.