| The USA/NASA trip of a lifetime, & the last launch of the shuttle “Atlantis”. |
The USA/NASA trip of a lifetime, & the last launch of the shuttle “Atlantis”.
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23 hours flying from Melbourne to Orlando was a huge effort, but this was just the beginning of tour with Aussiespacetours, seeing the most fabulous space sites in the USA, lunching with an astronaut and seeing the last launch of the Space Shuttle “Atlantis”. A piece of history is about to end with the shuttles being retired in 2010/2011!
Forget the jet lag, our first day in Orlando was at Disneyworld’s EPCOT centre, a fantastic vision of the future by Walt Disney and it certainly lives up to it. We were soon immersed in the rides such as Test Track, Mission Mars, “Soarin” and the Living Seas and Living with the Land exhibits were fantastic. Dinner at a choice of 11 different countries Pavilions at the World Showcase section of EPCOT then, a breathtaking evening laser and fireworks display called “IllumiNations”, Reflections of the Earth.
That day was hard to top, but the next one had the group off to Cape Canaveral at Kennedy Space Centre to see the last launch of the Space Shuttle “Atlantis”. The crowds were huge; it seems Americans have become interested in shuttle launches, now they are ending.
Standing outside the Astronaut Hall of Fame, we listened to the countdown 3, 2, 1, and there was an almighty flash and in the distance a pencil like object with flames 4 times its length started rising in the distance. Everyone was calling out “go go” and clapping as it started to rise quite quickly up into the sky. Then “boom” the sound wave of the launch hit you in the chest, and the shuttle just kept going up and up. It was 8 minutes before it was out of sight and all you could see was a huge vapor trail. What a sight! And you heard people saying “and there are people in that thing!”
Next day must be an anti climax, but no, we embarked on a half day training as an astronaut, “ATX”and rotated roles as Shuttle Pilots or Mission Specialists or in CAPCOM pretending to be Gene Krantz , the flight director of Apollo 13. “Failure is not an option” got used a fair bit as we launched and landed a space shuttle!
The following day we returned to Kennedy and started the day with “Shuttle Launch Experience” a simulation that was more realistic after seeing a real launch. We had lunch with astronaut Bruce Melnick, and the photo and Q & A session was very enlightening. The afternoon was spent looking at the Saturn 5 Moon Rocket exhibit, the launch tower viewing platform and walking through Space Station modules. Lots of space history!
A quick flight to Washington, with the plane landing over the White House & the Washington Monument and the views of the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery will remain in the memory bank for ever. The hotel we stay at is only a stones throw from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, perfectly situated for a jaunt around the fantastic (free) Smithsonian Museums. It is well set up, very comfortable rooms and some guests even had views of the Capitol Building from their room. If not, it could be easily seen from the roof top pool. What a life!
The next day we were up at 9am and after a delicious buffet breakfast sauntered over to the Air and Space museum, luckily they don’t open till 10am, a respectable time for travelers that had only recently arrived from halfway around the world. The museum is mind boggling with everything about space or flight that you could possibly want to see. The group spent half a day wandering through its exhibits, walking through Skylab which stands next to a V2 rocket, what a contrast!, touching moon rock, standing under the original Wright brothers plane or the Bell X-1, the list is endless.
The afternoon was spent walking the Washington Mall, which is very safe and has endless views which ever way you look. A number of helicopters flew over on their way to the White House. A local said that it happens all the time, but you never know whether the president is on one of them or not. (Security) The group wandered over to the Natural History museum which is a must, not only for the Hope Diamond, but their dinosaur and crystal collections have to be seen to be believed. Later in the afternoon the group walked up to the Washington Monument for their tour. You need tickets, but they are free and give you a set time to be there. The view from the top is unbelievable, one view to the White House, the next to the Capitol Building, the next to the Lincoln Memorial. In the evening we hopped on the Metro train to China Town for dinner then home to the hotel for a rest.
The next day the group had free time in Washington, and some went to the Lincoln Memorial for that famous Forest Gump view, others to Arlington Cemetery, some went via the Metro to the Pentagon which has a huge shopping centre (Pentagon City) next to it. Others did the Spy Museum, and Union Station near the Mint, some just wandered back over to the Air and Space Museum for another dose of space history. Phew!
We fly out of Baltimore airport, and checking in early meant we could catch a couple of hours at another Smithsonian Museum before leaving the Washington area. The Udvar-Hazy museum is only a 10 minute shuttle bus trip from the airport, to a place which is similar to a young boys bedroom of the 60’s, with model planes hanging from the ceiling. But these planes are real, from the Sopwith through to the Concord, the Enola Gay, the Blackbird, the Enterprise space shuttle and much more. We don’t want to leave, but LA beckons!
The next 3 days in Los Angeles are fantastic. We visit Griffith Park and overlook the city & Hollywood, then the Lebea Tar pits, Grumman’s Chinese theatre and the Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, and finish up at Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier. The highlight of the tour is a half day tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. It is the centre for all robotic space craft sent up by the USA, and is still receiving data from the Voyager missions. It is the home of the Mars Rovers and they have duplicates where the scientists practice every move the Mars ones are going to do! An unbelievable site!
With a day at Universal Studios and City walk, we are ready for the long flight home!
If you need more information about these tours, which leave Australia in Feb, May, Sept & Nov each year; visit www.aussiespacetours.com.au
Ken Cohen
Tour Leader
Aussiespacetours
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