Kennedy Space Center shoots for the moon, and beyond
As the Super Moon took center stage last week, undoubtedly all eyes caught a glimpse. It likely grabbed the attention of U.S. astronauts James Lovell, Tom Stafford and Buzz Aldrin, too, who were up close and personal when their space mission reached the moon nearly 50 years ago.
On November 11, Lovell, Stafford and Aldrin joined 22 additional U.S. Hall of Fame astronauts gathered at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for the grand opening of its newest attraction, Heroes & Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame presented by Boeing.
When asked his thoughts on Kennedy Space Center’s newest attraction, Lovell called it a beautiful exhibit and was very impressed by the audio and video presentations that introduce visitors to the attraction, including “What is a Hero?,” with a look at the Space Race and how it impacted America’s push into space; and “Through the Eyes of a Hero,” which allows visitors to “join” four space-age heroes as they take off on the first crewed space missions through the technology of a custom-built 4D theater.
“It’s quite spectacular, and I hope it excites a lot of young people," Lovell said. "It’s an inspiration to everyone that if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything.”
On the ground level, the original Mercury Mission Control consoles are on full display, as well as two flown capsules, Mercury Sigma 7 and Gemini IX. Also on the ground level is “A Hero is…”, an interactive exhibit showcasing the nine attributes of the Hall of Fame astronauts: inspired, curious, passionate, tenacious, disciplined, confident, courageous, principled and selfless. Within each attribute’s module are exhibits linked to the actual experiences of NASA’s astronauts.
Lastly, a bronze statue of Alan Shepard, America’s first astronaut, greets visitors to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, where portraits of each of the 93 Hall of Fame astronauts are on display, along with their names, missions and dates of induction.
A few hundred visitors joined the astronauts and local dignitaries for the grand opening ceremony, during which the next generation of space pioneers sitting in the audience were encouraged to “keep your eyes to the skies, and keep dreaming.” The number of international languages overheard in the audience and during the day spent at the visitor complex was astounding – the interest in space travel is alive and well, not only in the USA, but around the world.
When asked why he thinks people are still so interested in space travel nearly 50 years after the moon landing, Lovell noted that it’s something people had thought about for a hundred of years (before the moon landing), and that it sparks imagination.
The new Heroes and Legends attraction complements the already rich visitor complex experience, which includes a bus tour to launch pads and the Apollo/Saturn V Center; the actual space shuttle Atlantis and the Shuttle Launch Experience ride; Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted; Destination Mars, a virtual reality walk on Mars using imagery from NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover (through January 1, 2017); and much more.
Back to where American space travel all began: the moon. Lovell said that during his trips into space and to the moon, “the earth had colors like a Christmas ornament hanging in a black sky” when he looked back upon it, and thought, “how fortunate we are to have a planet like that.”
Rockets continue to blast off from Florida’s Space Coast and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, nearby Kennedy Space Center, and there are plenty of spots along the coastline from which to watch them soar into space. To track launch dates and times, visit WeAreGoFL.
The next launch is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:53 p.m., when a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will launch with the eighth Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft to serve U.S. military forces. Of course, many factors are taken into account for every launch, and launch dates and times are always subject to change; be sure to check online for the most up-to-date launch information, as well as launch parties that may be held to celebrate another foray into space.