After our visit to Universal (which I realize hasn’t been blogged about yet...it’s not my fault...the kids have dibs...but many thanks to Tara and Paula and Addi for being great hosts...I hope I got your spelling correct little cousin!!!) we arrived at around 9PM at Manatee Hammock Campground in Titusville, Florida. It was too late to check in, but we set up in the dark and were so exhausted that we fell asleep almost immediately. In the morning we were delighted by the view from our campsite, and could even see our destination across the water. We tried to check in to the campsite before leaving for the Kennedy Space Center, but were not able to as the office wasn’t open until 10AM.
We had a short drive to the Space Center, and arrived just in time for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner at the entrance to the park, accompanied by a countdown on a large digital countdown clock, which we later found out was the original clock used at the rocket launch viewing site. I am the only one in the family to have visited the KSC before. I went there in 2002 while I was a student at Dalhousie and was attending a conference in Tampa. I didn’t recall everything from my visit, but it was clear that lots had changed since then.
We had a short tour of the rocket garden, then proceeded to the bus tour which took us past the gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the SpaceX hangar and SpaceX Heavy launchpad (launchpad 39A), and the future launchpad of the SLS Rocket (39B). The VAB is as gigantic as I remembered - one of the large doors was open so we could see inside. There was lots of excitement in the air; the SpaceX rocket had launched a few days earlier and we were there 3 days before the next launch.

The bus tour ended at the Apollo/Saturn V museum which I had seen on my previous visit - it was just as awesome the second time! The size of the Saturn V rocket next to its tiny command module is humbling - weird to think about sitting on top of such a big rocket in such a small compartment. The girls got to touch a moon rock. I passed as I assume it still carries some of my germs from 2002. :)

After lunch outside, we got back on the bus to the rest of the KSC visitor area where we checked out the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. This was completely new to me and it was breathtaking! The initial video about the development of the shuttle ended with the actual Atlantis shuttle being revealed - it is suspended in the centre of the building with its cargo bay doors open and it was incredible to see it up close. The individual tiles and blankets used for heat protection make it look pretty ragged up close; from a distance it looks much more elegant! We had a short tour around the shuttle, then checked out the exhibits throughout the building. All of the exhibits were excellent, including a memorial area to commemorate the Challenger and Columbia disasters. I can vividly remember when the Challenger disaster happened even though I was very young.
We saw a couple other areas of the KSC after that, also great, but those were the highlights for me. The best part for me is to know that the space program is alive and well, and that I will likely be alive to witness some of the next big steps in human space exploration. We will keep our eyes open Friday evening - who knows...maybe we’ll be able to see the shuttle launch from Everglades National Park!
When we returned to the campsite, the office was closed yet again. So, no checking in for us...we tried to check in on our way out of the park the next morning and still no luck. Good thing we booked ahead!!
View of the VAB from our campsite (you can see it between the trees):

What a view!!! Happy St. Paddy's day 🍀. Hopefully you can find some green beer, or even better, a Guiness somewhere today 🍻.
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