The Dry Heat Expedition (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Disneyland)--UPDATE 6/12 (KSC and DTD)

I downloaded the photos off of Scotty’s camera to get a window into his thoughts as we drove.

Empty?

Scott, ladies and gentlemen. The one and only.

:laughing: Amazing!

It’s a remote stretch of road beyond the highway, which is important to note since our fuel light was now on, indicating we were on our last gallon of gas.

Uh, oh.

My notes say we reached our destination at 11:15 a.m.

Well it would've been sooner, but having to walk those last few miles eats up a lot of time.

IMG_8675.jpg

!!!

Oh, boy oh boyohboyohboyohboy!!!!


I might be just a bit of a space geek.

By 1969 it was already hosting over 1 million visitors per year and has been a highly popular tourist attraction ever since.

I was there (first and last time) in 1978.
Things may have changed a bit since I was there. :rolleyes1

Those hopes were dashed when we saw the lines at the ticket windows.

Whoo, boy.
This ain't gonna be quick.

my parents jumped in line while I wandered the entrance plaza with Scotty.

That was good of them.

Off to the left, I could see several kiosks marked “Self-Service Ticketing”. Even better, there was hardly anyone there! Hoping we could beat the lines (and the system), we hurried on over to find…not a single screen was working. They were all as dead as Julius Caesar.

This is NASA, right?


I really like that memorial.

He actually tried it, but the website wasn’t working properly.

NASA website too?
:sad2:

There was a food truck by the gate that served hot dogs and “flatbreads” (Come on. Everybody knows they’re pizzas).

Oh, no. You're quite wrong.
A slice of pizza costs $2.
But call it flatbread and now it's $3.50.

See?

He had his third pizza of the trip.

:laughing: Sounds like my youngest DD.
She had mac n cheese more times than I can count.

As it turned out, all of the KSC’s computers were down,

Good thing you don't use those things for much.

so they had to take everyone’s credit cards by hand individually.

That would explain the massive lineups.
Probably would explain the low crowds too.
I wonder how many people just gave up and left?

So we could put a man on the moon using a computer no more powerful than my pocket calculator, but could not successfully read a credit card.

Actually... A modern toaster is more sophisticated.

It takes a couple of hours and gives visitors a glimpse at the various parts of the property, including the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), launch pads, crawlers and observation posts, as well as a stop at the Saturn V building and exhibit.

:cool1:

It’s one of the largest buildings in North America, although the lack of scale makes it hard to understand its sheer size just by looking at it.

You can get a sense by looking at the car parked out front.
It's that little thing.

The stars on the flag painted on the side of the building are each 6 feet wide.

You could use the stripes as a travel lane for the tour bus we were riding.

Old Yankee Stadium would fit on the roof of this building.

The dark gray doors on the side are some of the largest doors in the world. It would be possible to slide the Statue of Liberty through them easily, without scraping any of the sides.

Did I mentione that I might be a space geek?
I actually knew all that! :laughing:

In this photo, you can see the control center, housed in the building in front of the VAB. This is where the launch control is headquartered. The windows give them a direct view of the launch pads.

Didn't know that! Cool!

It drives on a huge road made of smooth Tennessee River Rock which is brought in, of course, from Alabama.

:lmao:

Naturally!

When loaded down with cargo, the crawler makes its way to the pad at 1 mile per hour. Once it has offloaded the ship to the pad, it can speed back to the VAB at a top speed of 2 mph.

Yeah... I coud've quoted those speeds for you, too. :sad2:
Maybe I need to get out more.

I forget how many miles per gallon of gasoline it got, but it was even worse than a Humvee.

Nah. Nothing's that bad!

Here is one of the launch pads.

Recognized that shuttle launch tower right away.

Last time I was here, my son David and I saw the shuttle Endeavour on the pad enclosed in this housing.

Cool. A sight never to be seen again.
Makes me sad.

The curved fence is there to keep both man and animal away from the pad. They had to curve it when they saw alligators actually climbing the fence to get over.

The what, the what??????? :eek:

Hmmm.... Then again.
"All right gentleman. Congratulations on another successful launch. Now let's go have some BBQ gator."

The water tank holds about 500,000 gallons of water which is all dumped on the pad during a launch. This is not to contain the heat, as you might expect, but rather to help dampen the sound of the launch.

Really! Didn't know that.

It’s hard to contain the heat. Here are some concrete blast shields that have melted under a shuttle launch.

Such a cool picture!

The final stop on the bus tour is the Saturn V building, a museum dedicated to the Apollo missions of the 1960’s and 70’s.

Don't think that building was there in '78.
I remember we drove past the Saturn V.... which was lying on its side... outside in the open air.

And it’s pretty cool.

No kidding!!

From there, you are led into the main hall, where an actual Saturn V rocket awaits your discovery.

:faint:

it’s the largest rocket NASA ever built.

Yep.

But I can use Scotty to demonstrate the scale.

Might not want to stand there when you light it, though. :)


Man, I love that shot.

Here’s a moon landing craft. No matter how many times I see it, it always amazes me that we landed on the moon with something that looks like an Erector set wrapped in tin foil.

::yes:: It just looks so..... flimsy, right?

And I bet most people don't realize two things.
Only half of it leaves the moon. The lower descent stage stays behind.
The ascent stage crashes back on the moon.

With two exceptions.
Everyone knows the Apollo 13 story. Well, everyone who's seen the movie.
That ascent stage burned up on reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
But the coolest one?
The ascent stage for Apollo 10. The one before the first moon landing.
It's still in space.
It was jettisoned into a solar orbit and it's still out there... somewhere.

I find it fascinating that a space craft that held people in it and orbited the moon... is still traveling through space.

The other main exhibit housed in this building is a show dedicated to the Apollo 11 mission, first to land on the moon. It’s another entertaining show, one that makes me proud of my country.

You should! It was an amazing accomplishment!

We checked out the Apollo exhibits which included this capsule, nicely toasted after a re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

I looked it up. Apollo 14.

Hard to believe that’s all that is left after leaving the earth on the massive rocket in the other room.

Considering the size of the Saturn... Yes!

“You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270,000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good, doesn't it?”

Great line!

Of course, the Apollo astronauts didn’t have a nuclear weapon, but with all that rocket fuel underneath them, would it have mattered?

Not to them.

There’s one spot where you are allowed to touch an actual moon rock.

Cool.

Turn away now if you don’t want me to reveal that it actually feels like…


…a rock.

Ah... but it's what it represents, isn't it?

The folks there seem a little perturbed when funding is discussed. They like to point out that NASA is the only part of the government that actually turns a profit, due to the patents and scientific advances they’ve created.

Interesting.

I enjoy seeing what NASA has accomplished and imagining what it must have been like to have been a part of those groundbreaking achievements.

::yes::

I have a book that's all about the Mercury program (preceded the Apollo one. See the movie The Right Stuff.) from the engineers viewpoint.
Fascinating stuff.
Well, to me it was.

Try this on for size and compare it to the crawler picture you showed us.

fPH6F.jpg


It's a Mercury capsule (the first one, I think) being transported on a flatbed truck.... on a couple of freaking mattresses!

It’s hard to look at what has been accomplished and not wonder to yourself—why don’t we still try to do things like that?

Those days are gone. And I don't know if it's better or worse.
 
Just got caught up on the last few updates about your trip with Scotty and your parents. Really interesting to see some of the highlights from Kennedy Space Center, as DH really wants to go there, but we weren't able to work it into the trip we just took. Hoping maybe next time. Thanks for the preview!
 
It's a Mercury capsule (the first one, I think) being transported on a flatbed truck.... on a couple of freaking mattresses!
But it looks like the guy riding with the capsule to likely help stabilize it is wearing a hard hat. Just goes to show how progressive NASA was in those days.:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao:
 
Since we showed up there just a couple weeks later and I intend to write about it myself in a while, I won’t interject too much. But then again…

It’s likely that no one except maybe you and possibly Andy would ever even see that, so I may change my mind.
We’ll see.
Oh, come on now!! More people will read if you don't abandon it halfway through for about 6 months. :rolleyes1

We want a TR!!!!
 


Yeah... I coud've quoted those speeds for you, too. :sad2:
Maybe I need to get out more.

Naaaa… Just means you fit in perfectly round here.
This stuff is just entirely too cool and too few folks know it.
The world need more geeks.


Don't think that building was there in '78.
I remember we drove past the Saturn V.... which was lying on its side... outside in the open air.

It was still outside in the elements in the early 90s when I was last there as well.
My Grandfather and one of my Uncles worked out on “The Cape” in the 60s and 70s so I was able to get onto property many several times during my youth. That display was originally set up closer to the VAB in about 74, and obviously just as imposing then. Especially if you were allowed to pulled over and walked walk around it a bit. I had no idea that they had built the new facility and restored the stages. That was one of the best surprises of our entire junket down that way (well, for me at least).


I find it fascinating that a space craft that held people in it and orbited the moon... is still traveling through space.

I had forgotten about “Snoopy” not having crashed. They had to burn off the fuel that didn’t get used since they never landed. I wonder if anyone has tried to locate it or even if that would be possible?


I have a book that's all about the Mercury program (preceded the Apollo one. See the movie The Right Stuff.) from the engineers viewpoint.
Fascinating stuff.
Well, to me it was.

Try this on for size and compare it to the crawler picture you showed us.

fPH6F.jpg


It's a Mercury capsule (the first one, I think) being transported on a flatbed truck.... on a couple of freaking mattresses!

Ahhh the Wild West days of rocketry before “the speech”.
Little prior experience, no precedents, minimal funding…
they just figured it out and got it done.


Just got caught up on the last few updates about your trip with Scotty and your parents. Really interesting to see some of the highlights from Kennedy Space Center, as DH really wants to go there, but we weren't able to work it into the trip we just took. Hoping maybe next time. Thanks for the preview!

If you get the chance, it is truly is worth the stop.
Some of the most amazing things people have ever done were accomplished around “The Cape”


Oh, come on now!! More people will read if you don't abandon it halfway through for about 6 months. :rolleyes1

We want a TR!!!!

Oh behave you.…

All right, all right, I’ll start getting it organized.
Etiquette dictates that I ought to bury it in the DCL forum so y’all have to hunt for it but I’ll get started.
 
Catching up again. What a wonderful trip for him ( and you). Looks like he did have a blast and that course is pretty well designed to challenge every pro golfer out there. I still need to make it KSC some day. Great job on all the pictures.
 
No, South African. :rolleyes1

Precisely. :thumbsup2

So... you get to drink a warm soda and push the car back to the hotel at the end of the day, don't you?

It sure was looking that way.

That is crazy!

That wasn't even the worst of it! It extended almost into the parking lot.

Hence the ridiculous lines.

:sad2: I had a feeling that those kiosks were not busy for a reason.

Well of course not! They laid off 2/3 of the ticket sellers when they opened those self service terminals.

That was the one part we couldn't understand. Ok, your computers are down, but why not at least get some more people out there and open all of the ticket windows?

That's just crazy that it took so long to get in. But I can understand why now. It's crazy how dependent we are on technology. Nobody carries enough cash to buy anything anymore. No business still has the old credit card purchase equipment, so if the computers are down, all heck breaks loose. Welcome to the stone age.

It is pretty amazing. I always worry about cyber-crime for that reason. Not so much for identity theft (although that's always a worry), but you could really bring life to a halt.

Alligators just went to a higher level on the fear factor list when it comes to animals that can eat you.

They had lots of good stories about alligators. Including a warning to look under your car in the parking lot.:scared:

Wow. I'm not sure I've ever seen those before. That's cool. Well, it's cool now. It clearly was very hot.

Melted concrete = awesome.

Yup. It's big.

I clearly need to get back to KSC. It has been a while. They didn't have the rocket under roof with a stripmall looking thing next to it last time I was there. It has been probably 20 years or so.

Yeah, it's really worth the trip. It's just fascinating stuff.

It just proves that the astronauts were either extremely smart with a great understanding of science and trust for the NASA engineers or they were totally frickin' nuts.

Probably a little bit of column A, and a little of column B.

And proud to be a Purdue Boilermaker. Neil Armstrong. Class of 1955.

:thumbsup2 Wearing spacesuits from ILC in Delaware!

I never noticed the hidden Mickey before.

Nice catch!:thumbsup2

Granite? Limestone? Quartz?

Probably most like granite, since it was highly polished.

I can only imagine. NASA has done some amazing things over the years. And I'd love to see what they're capable of doing next!

It's going to be really interesting if that Mars mission ever comes to light.

Um... the Disboards mods don't approve of political commentary so I'll just shut up.

I know what you mean.

Ooops....I'm behind again.

Whose behind?

Mine.

Slinky_dog.png


That's too bad about the traffic on the way to the golf course. It is a stunning course, and Scotty sure looked thrilled to be there.

At least it didn't delay us too much. We had a great time!

And :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo: for a DIS meet.

:thumbsup2

Good idea to sleep in. But too bad you didn't know about the computers not working and the wait for tickets to the Space Center. I'm still not sure why we never took our boys there (or why my husband didn't; I would have used the opportunity myself to shop).

There's still time! I think it's totally worth the visit.

I'm glad once you got in that you didn't have any issues with lines. It sounds like a good afternoon thus far. Cool that Scotty got to touch a moon rock.

The history and achievements of NASA are worth learning about. Some really smart and brave people there.

And I'm digging that shirt Scotty's wearing.

Now why is that?:confused3

Looking forward to the other main attraction at the Space Center and your going "as far onto Disney property as I’m allowed" and meeting the "other" attraction.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to Earl of Sandwich too. Oh, wait--that's not what you meant?:rotfl:
 


I think you’d like the place.
It showed up on an episode of “Triple-D”.
I’ll tell you more about it later on.

You'd think I would have known about it if it was on Triple D. Oh well.

Something golf courses apparently have in common with Disney…
So you had that going for you.

At least I didn't have to pay for admission.

And the world stands in awe.

Or something.

Tis a bit remote once you hit the causeway…
I do hope this is merely a comment and not a foreshadowing.

Just stating the facts. We were on our last gallon of gas.:rolleyes1

This is going to be fun to see how y’all experienced it.
Since we showed up there just a couple weeks later and I intend to write about it myself in a while, I won’t interject too much. But then again…

It’s likely that no one except maybe you and possibly Andy would ever even see that, so I may change my mind.
We’ll see.

Well, like Andy said, as long as you don't abandon the TR in the middle...:rotfl2:

The bit I forgot about…
Luckily I did have enough cash left.

That's a relief. It would be a shame to have to panhandle in the parking lot.

Something I think you mentioned as an aside somewhere or other.
I remember having heard it though, so I came up with a plan-B for the tickets.
Sorry y’all had to give up the time.

At least the crowds weren't bad inside.

Et tu, technology…

I was hoping someone would catch the movie reference there...:rolleyes1

Glad someone was thinking with his stomach.

Besides Chewbacca?

The preferred diet of the Common Domestic Scotty

I think he bleeds pizza sauce.

Wooooooow…
Is that what it was?
So low bidders are still a problem then?

Apparently!

Certainly ranks up there in wow factors.
Depending on just how high one registers on the Geek-o-Meter, there are many here.

The tour takes you out where all the history happened!:thumbsup2

I remember that bit…
It’s 36 feet/gallon.
That might be better than a Humvee

It would be close, that's for sure.

39-B
Currently being leased to the folks from Space-X

And interestingly the pad and that scaffolding are considered to be a historical site, so the Space-X folks have to be careful about how they use it and what modifications they make.

They'll have to work extra hard after the mess they made at Wallops Island.

The Gators get up to the curved part and flop over on their backs.
That’d be a sight to see.
They may be tenacious, but they’re not too bright.

Thank the lord.

I think we can all agree it would be pretty funny. Viewed on a live feed from a camera, that is.

I love that bit…
It’s just not something that the average person wouldn’t consider needed to be taken into account. But the whole place is also a wildlife refuge, and that has a good bit to do with how NASA goes about dealing with a number of day to day things.

The marriage of rocket facility and wildlife refuge is definitely an odd one. But they make it work.

And that came as a complete, total and wondrous surprise to me…
But I’ll explain why and tell that story later on.

I was there in 2011 so I had seen it, but it was still cool.

Those count downs still give me chills.

Me too.::yes::

Good reference, but it still pales compared to standing there.
Anyone who hasn’t…
Really, really needs to.

::yes::

Did you ever see the HBO series “Froom the Earth to the Moon”?
Wonderful stuff the whole series, but the part about building the LEM (I think the episode was titled: “Spider”) gives some fascinating insights into the process and thinking behind that spindly bit of cellophane and tinker-toys.

Excuse me… that brilliantly engineered spindly bit of cellophane and tinker-toys.

I have not seen the series, but would welcome the chance to watch it!

The "Kitty Hawk” to be specific.
And Andy is right… That’s the first time I’ve noticed the Hidden Mickey as well.

I was kicking myself for not seeing that.

<<raises hand>>
Me too…

:thumbsup2

The polite answer would be:


short sightedness.

And debt. When you've spent yourself into oblivion, it's hard to justify expensive space projects.

This happened to us at World of Coke in Atlanta! But we were lucky enough to be there on a Wednesday, so not many crowds. We were even able to walk right up and get our picture with the Coke Bear, but he was really creepy looking. I have an awkward expression in the photos because I didn't want to get too close.

It's a good rule with most of those characters.

I did this, but back in...wow, 1999. So I don't remember most of it, except getting to see a bald eagle in it's nest (which was very cool) and the bus driver quipping "This isn't Disney folks, he's real!"

The bus driver did point out a bald eagle nest to us along the way. Unfortunately, it wasn't occupied at the time.

I also remember doing the launch simulation, where you sit in a theater and the windows glow red and you're jostled around a bit. At 8 it was the highlight of the trip for me

Scotty loved that part!

It moves faster than when we moved Cape Hatteras. I think the rate of speed was measured in inches per day. Maybe feet. Read more here.
And maybe you'll understand more of the article than I did

Welcome to the beach. Expect delays...

See, this. This right here is why I'm deathly afraid of alligators. They have freakish abilities. And they're just creepy.

Yeah, there's really nothing warm and cuddly about a gator.

Your comment about engineers enjoying the Space Center more reminds me of the last weekend, when there was an air show in a nearby town. DBF's parents went, and his dad is a mechanical engineer. So he's talking about how amazing it is that one plane stayed almost vertical for x number of feet in the climb, and describing the maneuvers....and I'm sitting there like "well, isn't that what they're supposed to do?"

Sounds pretty cool to me!

I was never a STEM child. Much more arts savvy

I was lost when discussing symbolism. Different strokes and all that.
 

Like father, like son.

Well it would've been sooner, but having to walk those last few miles eats up a lot of time.

Sooooo inconvenient.:sad2:

Oh, boy oh boyohboyohboyohboy!!!!


I might be just a bit of a space geek.

Well, this marks quite the change from the enthusiasm you mustered up for golf.

I was there (first and last time) in 1978.
Things may have changed a bit since I was there. :rolleyes1

Nah, just some new buildings. Oh, and we don't do much with our space program these days.

Whoo, boy.
This ain't gonna be quick.

It was painful!

That was good of them.

Yeah. I give them a lot of crap, but they're good people.

This is NASA, right?

:sad2:

I really like that memorial.

Me too.:thumbsup2

NASA website too?

Technology. Can't live with it, can't kill it.

Oh, no. You're quite wrong.
A slice of pizza costs $2.
But call it flatbread and now it's $3.50.

See?

:rotfl: I used the same line when talking about the difference between french fries and pommes frites in an earlier chapter!

:laughing: Sounds like my youngest DD.
She had mac n cheese more times than I can count.

Oh, that's my other son, David. :headache:

Good thing you don't use those things for much.

Sigh...

That would explain the massive lineups.
Probably would explain the low crowds too.
I wonder how many people just gave up and left?

It didn't seem like many, judging from the wait!

Actually... A modern toaster is more sophisticated.

:eek:

You can get a sense by looking at the car parked out front.
It's that little thing.

Where? A car? Oh, wait...I think I see it.

Did I mentione that I might be a space geek?
I actually knew all that! :laughing:

Man, I need to work harder on my obscure trivia here.

Didn't know that! Cool!

Ha! That's more like it!:woohoo:

Yeah... I coud've quoted those speeds for you, too. :sad2:
Maybe I need to get out more.

Well, it's below 0 for like 8 months out of the year in Canada. I can see where that would make you dive deep into this stuff.:rotfl2:

Nah. Nothing's that bad!

It is pretty sad if you get compared to a Humvee.

Recognized that shuttle launch tower right away.

:thumbsup2

Cool. A sight never to be seen again.
Makes me sad.

Me too. Hopefully the next program isn't too far into the future.

The what, the what??????? :eek:

Hmmm.... Then again.
"All right gentleman. Congratulations on another successful launch. Now let's go have some BBQ gator."

Seems a little tough and chewy to me.

Really! Didn't know that.

Yes! That's 2!:woohoo:

Such a cool picture!

Thanks!:goodvibes

Don't think that building was there in '78.
I remember we drove past the Saturn V.... which was lying on its side... outside in the open air.

I have a feeling you'd love this place.

Might not want to stand there when you light it, though. :)

Especially if you just went to Taco Bell.

Man, I love that shot.

Thank you, sir!

It just looks so..... flimsy, right?

And I bet most people don't realize two things.
Only half of it leaves the moon. The lower descent stage stays behind.
The ascent stage crashes back on the moon.

With two exceptions.
Everyone knows the Apollo 13 story. Well, everyone who's seen the movie.
That ascent stage burned up on reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
But the coolest one?
The ascent stage for Apollo 10. The one before the first moon landing.
It's still in space.
It was jettisoned into a solar orbit and it's still out there... somewhere.

I find it fascinating that a space craft that held people in it and orbited the moon... is still traveling through space.

Now it's my turn...I didn't know that! Maybe it's discovered an advanced civilization by now.

You should! It was an amazing accomplishment!

:thumbsup2

I looked it up. Apollo 14.

Apparently Rob knew that one too. Drat. Now we're even.

Considering the size of the Saturn... Yes!

::yes::

Great line!

::yes::

Not to them.

::yes::

Ah... but it's what it represents, isn't it?

It really is.

I have a book that's all about the Mercury program (preceded the Apollo one. See the movie The Right Stuff.) from the engineers viewpoint.
Fascinating stuff.
Well, to me it was.

Try this on for size and compare it to the crawler picture you showed us.

fPH6F.jpg


It's a Mercury capsule (the first one, I think) being transported on a flatbed truck.... on a couple of freaking mattresses!

Holy cow. You'd think this was a shot from Redneck Rocketry or something. Still, it's an amazing accomplishment in its own way.

Those days are gone. And I don't know if it's better or worse.

I'm voting worse. We don't strive for much anymore.

Just got caught up on the last few updates about your trip with Scotty and your parents. Really interesting to see some of the highlights from Kennedy Space Center, as DH really wants to go there, but we weren't able to work it into the trip we just took. Hoping maybe next time. Thanks for the preview!

I hope you get there! It's really worth the trip!

But it looks like the guy riding with the capsule to likely help stabilize it is wearing a hard hat. Just goes to show how progressive NASA was in those days.:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao:

All he needs is some duct tape!
 
Oh, come on now!! More people will read if you don't abandon it halfway through for about 6 months. :rolleyes1

We want a TR!!!!

::yes:: to the above.

Naaaa… Just means you fit in perfectly round here.
This stuff is just entirely too cool and too few folks know it.
The world need more geeks.

It's about time the rest of the world understood just how important geeks are.

It was still outside in the elements in the early 90s when I was last there as well.
My Grandfather and one of my Uncles worked out on “The Cape” in the 60s and 70s so I was able to get onto property many several times during my youth. That display was originally set up closer to the VAB in about 74, and obviously just as imposing then. Especially if you were allowed to pulled over and walked walk around it a bit. I had no idea that they had built the new facility and restored the stages. That was one of the best surprises of our entire junket down that way (well, for me at least).

That must have been cool to be able to be there in the good ol' days. I'm sure you greatly enjoyed the new building, though!

I had forgotten about “Snoopy” not having crashed. They had to burn off the fuel that didn’t get used since they never landed. I wonder if anyone has tried to locate it or even if that would be possible?

Maybe it's becoming "V-ger" from that old Star Trek movie.

Ahhh the Wild West days of rocketry before “the speech”.
Little prior experience, no precedents, minimal funding…
they just figured it out and got it done.

I have so much respect for people like that. I love the line from Apollo 13: "We need to make this...fit into this...using that (indicates junk on floor)."

If you get the chance, it is truly is worth the stop.
Some of the most amazing things people have ever done were accomplished around “The Cape”

Agreed. ::yes::

Oh behave you.…

All right, all right, I’ll start getting it organized.
Etiquette dictates that I ought to bury it in the DCL forum so y’all have to hunt for it but I’ll get started.

party: Peer pressure still works!

Catching up again. What a wonderful trip for him ( and you). Looks like he did have a blast and that course is pretty well designed to challenge every pro golfer out there. I still need to make it KSC some day. Great job on all the pictures.

Don't worry, it'll challenge any other golfers too.

Hope you get to see KSC! It's pretty cool.

Because it's my city?:confused3

Just giving you a hard time. I told Scotty it would be a good idea to wear that shirt on that particular day.:rolleyes1

Yes, I was talking about Earl of Sandwich. :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

Mmmm...sandwich...
 
At first glance, the course was universally loathed by the players. It was built to be the ultimate test of their games, and no one was better at doing that than Dye. He took a couple of square miles of what had been nothing but Florida swampland and transformed it into a course that could make any golfer question their skill. The course is full of ponds, bunkers, sandy waste areas, hills, trees, small greens and awkward angles. It was also built with spectators in mind, as large mounds were constructed around the fairways and greens to provide a sort of “stadium” effect and allow for large crowds to watch the golf unimpeded. The course does not favor any one style of golfer, and that has been proven by the list of champions—it features players with power who can overpower a course, players who hit it shorter but with great control, and players with excellent short games. It features holes of varying lengths, doglegs in both directions, and no two holes run in the exact same direction. The course was meant to identify the player who was most in control of his golf ball that particular week, and it seems to have done just that.


The golf course is also an engineering achievement. As I mentioned, it was created out of swampland just a couple of miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The water table was only 18 inches below the ground surface. Of the millions of dollars it took to construct the course, most of that money went into draining it. Even so, there are dozens of lakes and ponds on the course property, including many that are not even in play or seen on TV—just providing storage for the water.


Since the course is difficult, and the line between a great shot and disaster is razor-thin, it’s no wonder the golfers were not big fans at the start. Even Nicklaus groused about TPC Sawgrass, saying of its small, firm greens, “I’ve never been very good at stopping a 5-iron shot on the hood of a car.”


Over the years, the features were softened to make it a little more “fair”. But it’s still extremely difficult. Architect Pete Dye is a character. His wife, Alice, was once a pro golfer herself and collaborates on all of his designs. He has a faithful dog, Sixty, who commonly accompanies him to job sites. Why is he named Sixty? Because Dye paid $60 for him.

"Golf is not a fair game, so why build a course fair?"—Pete Dye


Given the above quote, Dye seems to enjoy making the players suffer. He’s been known to require certain types of shots on his courses simply because “the pros hate this shot”. Dye has very rarely ever drawn a plan for a golf course, preferring to be out on the construction site operating equipment and building the course himself. His original design for TPC Sawgrass was sketched on a napkin at a dinner with the PGA Tour commissioner. The most famous hole, the island-green 17th, was not a part of the original design. But the site of the green happened to have some of the best sandy soil for building golf courses, so they kept excavating the ground there for use elsewhere on the course. They ended up digging out far more soil than they originally intended. So, it was Alice to the rescue:


"Originally, the water was just supposed to come into play on the right side. But we just kept digging. And then one day Alice came out and said, 'Why don't you just go ahead and make it an island?' So we did."

Thanks for the lesson on his golf courses! He really does sound like quite the character for sure.

I had Scotty sit in the same spot…only he ignored my advice and moved farther away from the green. A little girl came up and sat in the spot closest to the green and was rewarded with a golf ball.

Ugh.

This year, they introduced a fenced-off area that was marked as being just for kids. It took up most of the autograph area, but there was a small part to the side where adults could wait. The idea was that kids collect autographs for themselves as a memento, while adults typically are looking to sell autographed memorabilia on eBay.

That is such a great idea! Who could pass up a group of kids?!

Anyway, Scotty did really well collecting autographs. Several of the big-name players did not bother to come out, which was somewhat disappointing. But he did get his favorite, as Mickelson came out to sign even after missing the cut.

Oh that's very disappointing. :sad2:

Somewhere in that mass is Scotty. He did really well holding his ground, even when other kids or adults tried to horn in on his spot. And yes, I said adults. You can see a couple of them on the side of the photo. Even though this area was restricted as kids-only, many of them paid no mind. It was almost embarrassing. I saw grown men leaning into kids, shoving their way to the front, even leaning over the kids to try and get their stuff signed first. It took almost an hour of this before a club official finally starting enforcing the policy

They were certainly acting like they belonged in the kids area, weren't they? Good grief.

Scotty was a trooper, though, and got several signatures. He used the same autograph book he had taken on his last trip to Disney World, so Mickelson is right next to Buzz Lightyear on the pages.

Good for Scotty!


I can see DH never leaving this bunker, ever.


Uh, is your dad 45?! How old are you?! :confused3

including the time he tackled a drunk fan who ran out onto one of the holes during play

Not gonna lie, this would be a fun job. Tackling people. Just full on tackling them:cloud9: What a stress reliever.


Nice :thumbsup2


Oh goodnight!

We wandered back. My parents were still far back in line. At some point, I asked if my dad could pull up the website on his phone, order tickets, and get them at the Will Call window which had a much shorter line. He actually tried it, but the website wasn’t working properly.

Website and self-kiosks not working?!

So we could put a man on the moon using a computer no more powerful than my pocket calculator, but could not successfully read a credit card.

:rotfl:

This is the building where the rockets and space shuttles are assembled together in proper position before being transferred to the launch pad. It’s one of the largest buildings in North America, although the lack of scale makes it hard to understand its sheer size just by looking at it. So, some facts and figures from our bus driver to help you out:

The stars on the flag painted on the side of the building are each 6 feet wide.

You could use the stripes as a travel lane for the tour bus we were riding.

Old Yankee Stadium would fit on the roof of this building.

The dark gray doors on the side are some of the largest doors in the world. It would be possible to slide the Statue of Liberty through them easily, without scraping any of the sides.

Woah thanks for those facts! Cause that really just looked like a building you'd see in any town. Can't believe the stars are 6 feet wide!!

It’s hard to contain the heat. Here are some concrete blast shields that have melted under a shuttle launch.


IMG_8691.jpg

That is really cool.


:scared1:

it always amazes me that we landed on the moon with something that looks like an Erector set wrapped in tin foil.


IMG_8700.jpg

Perfect description :rotfl2:
 
Hey Mark. I was sitting at home watching TV last night. You know, that Reds vs. Phillies game? The one where we finally beat Cole Frickin' Hamels?

Anyway, Zack Cozart hit a home run. And as many times as I've watched him play, I've never quite made this connection. But he returned to the dugout, took his helmet off and the camera caught him at just a certain angle.

And I couldn't help but think that he looked a lot like somebody I've seen on the Disboards. Any ideas who it could be?

0c0a92ffe344f6316d7906c8e1e40154.jpg
 
Now you know how I feel when you start talking about your gourmet meals!:rotfl2:

Touché :lmao:

I downloaded the photos off of Scotty’s camera to get a window into his thoughts as we drove.

Are you sure that was wise?

It’s a remote stretch of road beyond the highway, which is important to note since our fuel light was now on, indicating we were on our last gallon of gas.

YIkes! It scares me driving in places that aren't California. We have gas stations on every offramp and they come every 3 miles or so, I noticed in Florida you could go for miles without a stop!

Those hopes were dashed when we saw the lines at the ticket windows.

:sad2:

Even better, there was hardly anyone there! Hoping we could beat the lines (and the system), we hurried on over to find…not a single screen was working. They were all as dead as Julius Caesar. So much for that idea.

:eek:

There was a food truck by the gate that served hot dogs and “flatbreads” (Come on. Everybody knows they’re pizzas). It was getting closer to 12:00, so I offered to go get lunch as my parents continued to wait.

Good thinking! I'm always the one that comes up with the idea to too!

The stars on the flag painted on the side of the building are each 6 feet wide.

You could use the stripes as a travel lane for the tour bus we were riding.

Old Yankee Stadium would fit on the roof of this building.

The dark gray doors on the side are some of the largest doors in the world. It would be possible to slide the Statue of Liberty through them easily, without scraping any of the sides.

Those are some fun facts! I remember that building being off in the distance and still having a hard time fitting it in my camera window.

The curved fence is there to keep both man and animal away from the pad. They had to curve it when they saw alligators actually climbing the fence to get over.

That's scary! I think we took that same tour. There was a shuttle loaded up for launching when we were there. I don't think they knew or let the public know that the program would be ending soon.

From there, you are led into the main hall, where an actual Saturn V rocket awaits your discovery. This is the rocket used to launch each Apollo mission, and it’s the largest rocket NASA ever built. Words cannot describe the scale of this monster.

Those two things were some of the most awesome sights to see! I couldn't get over the, now old fashioned, but highly modern in the day, corded telephones at every workstation. Not sure why I focused on that! :rotfl2:

I have a similar picture of me standing under that rocket, just like you took of Scotty.

Did you do the launch simulator? I thought that was great fun (although I liked Mission Space Orange Team better).
 
The Kennedy Space Center visitor complex first opened in 1967 and was an instant success, thanks to the Apollo program and high interest from the public in NASA

And not to mention -- Tang!

They were all as dead as Julius Caesar.

Wait, what? Why am I always the last to know?!

He actually tried it, but the website wasn’t working properly.

Shocker.

It was getting closer to 12:00, so I offered to go get lunch as my parents continued to wait.

Did you consider putting in a dinner order too?


At first I thought this said "EXPLODE", which if memory serves, is something they work to avoid.

The meat-and-potatoes portion of any visit to the Kennedy Space Center is the bus tour of the property.

Stop it, you're makin' me hungry!

Here are some concrete blast shields that have melted under a shuttle launch.

But with the blast shield down, I can't even see! How am I supposed to fight?

We checked out the Apollo exhibits which included this capsule, nicely toasted after a re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

GBD. Golden brown and delicious.

I find NASA endlessly fascinating, and both the drivers and exhibits are full of information that is a nerd’s (and engineer’s) delight.

It looked like a fascinating visit!
 
Well, like Andy said, as long as you don't abandon the TR in the middle...:rotfl2:

Come on, you both know I had few readers long before the lull.
One of the excuses I used for leaving it set so long
:sad2:


Besides Chewbacca?

At least there wasn’t a snare net set up in front of that food truck.


They'll have to work extra hard after the mess they made at Wallops Island.

That certainly came in under the heading of Bad Day.
I’ll let them finish cleaning up, but that’s another one of those places on my must see list.


I have not seen the series, but would welcome the chance to watch it!

I got a DVD copy of the series as a Christmas present a few years ago. It can still be gotten new for about $75 and there are copies on Ebay for less than $20. If two or three folks were to pitch in together (say like somebody’s older young’ens), then it would make for a fairly cost effective BD or Pappy’s Day present.

Just sayin’…


And debt. When you've spent yourself into oblivion, it's hard to justify expensive space projects.

At its height in 1966 NASA garnered 4.5% of the budget. It’s been under 1% of total budget since 1976, and is now approaching pre 1960 percentage levels and dropping.

I think we could do more.


Now it's my turn...I didn't know that! Maybe it's discovered an advanced civilization by now.

Voyager was aimed directly out of the solar system and isn’t scheduled to reach even the next closest star for over 40,000 years. I’ve got’s me doubts on that one.


Apparently Rob knew that one too. Drat. Now we're even.

“…large machines that move quickly”… remember?

As you might imagine, I keep tabs for space vessels that I need to see in the same file where I track the ships and other such that I need to see. I’ve gotten up close with 8 of 31 on the capsules and 2 of the remaining 5 shuttles so far. Meaning I’ve got more traveling to do.


That must have been cool to be able to be there in the good ol' days. I'm sure you greatly enjoyed the new building, though!

It was and I most certainly did.
Now I need to get back and catch all the rest of the stuff I didn’t have enough time for.

Oh, and I found a couple of images that may help some folks get a handle on the ridiculous scale of the VAB…

This was taken from the roof of the building looking down on the front lot where they were setting up the Bicentennial science and technology expo…

And you can see where they use to have that Saturn-V parked too.

C00-100b_zpszxbhqov1.jpg



And this one I took a couple weeks ago from the upper deck of the Disney Fantasy.
(it’s better than twelve miles in the distance here and still dominates the landscape).

C00-100a_zpssdkykvdh.jpg



I have so much respect for people like that. I love the line from Apollo 13: "We need to make this...fit into this...using that (indicates junk on floor)."

One of many great lines from one heck of a film.
Just imagine having been one of the folks that actually lived the mission.


party: Peer pressure still works!

Apparently, and I’m working on it.
Just remember…
This will be entirely y’all two’s fault.


At first I thought this said "EXPLODE", which if memory serves, is something they work to avoid.

:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl:
 
Thanks for the lesson on his golf courses! He really does sound like quite the character for sure.

I love people with a sense of humor.

That is such a great idea! Who could pass up a group of kids?!

Apparently quite a few! I thought it was a great idea to try and keep the adult autograph-hounds away, but they needed to enforce it better.

Oh that's very disappointing.

::yes::

They were certainly acting like they belonged in the kids area, weren't they? Good grief.

Sometimes I really hate people.

Good for Scotty!

:thumbsup2

I can see DH never leaving this bunker, ever.

It would be quite the predicament. I'd probably use my foot wedge.:rolleyes1

Uh, is your dad 45?! How old are you?!

You guys are going to give me a complex.

Not gonna lie, this would be a fun job. Tackling people. Just full on tackling them:cloud9: What a stress reliever.

This is so true. Remember that old Super Bowl commercial with the Office Linebacker? It might be my favorite SB ad ever. That would be such a fun job.

Website and self-kiosks not working?!

This is NASA. What did you expect?

Woah thanks for those facts! Cause that really just looked like a building you'd see in any town. Can't believe the stars are 6 feet wide!!

It's massive! Absolutely massive!

That is really cool.

:thumbsup2

Perfect description

:goodvibes

Hey Mark. I was sitting at home watching TV last night. You know, that Reds vs. Phillies game? The one where we finally beat Cole Frickin' Hamels?

Are the Phillies playing this year? I have to be honest, I really haven't paid any attention at all. That Hamels guy is pretty good, though.

Anyway, Zack Cozart hit a home run. And as many times as I've watched him play, I've never quite made this connection. But he returned to the dugout, took his helmet off and the camera caught him at just a certain angle.

And I couldn't help but think that he looked a lot like somebody I've seen on the Disboards. Any ideas who it could be?

0c0a92ffe344f6316d7906c8e1e40154.jpg

Well, I'm 40, so I don't look that young. However, I think a lot of people would mistake my father for him.:sad2:
 
Are you sure that was wise?

When's the last time I did anything that was wise?:confused3

YIkes! It scares me driving in places that aren't California. We have gas stations on every offramp and they come every 3 miles or so, I noticed in Florida you could go for miles without a stop!

I wasn't exactly comfortable cutting it that close, either.

Good thinking! I'm always the one that comes up with the idea to too!

You can never go wrong when choosing the food option!

Those are some fun facts! I remember that building being off in the distance and still having a hard time fitting it in my camera window.

It's amazing how your perspective changes depending on the context.

That's scary! I think we took that same tour. There was a shuttle loaded up for launching when we were there. I don't think they knew or let the public know that the program would be ending soon.

I can't recall now how close to the end they made it public.

Those two things were some of the most awesome sights to see! I couldn't get over the, now old fashioned, but highly modern in the day, corded telephones at every workstation. Not sure why I focused on that!

Well, I'm sure it was the very best money could buy! So much better than those cans on a string.:rotfl2:

I have a similar picture of me standing under that rocket, just like you took of Scotty.

That one is pretty much obligatory, isn't it?

Did you do the launch simulator? I thought that was great fun (although I liked Mission Space Orange Team better).

We wanted to, but unfortunately we didn't have time. I guess we'll just have to go back.

And not to mention -- Tang!

If it was good enough for John Glenn...

Wait, what? Why am I always the last to know?!

Didn't anyone here see The Untouchables?


:sad2:

Did you consider putting in a dinner order too?

I may have, now that you mention it!

At first I thought this said "EXPLODE", which if memory serves, is something they work to avoid.

:rotfl::lmao::rotfl2:

Of course, I would gladly go to a theme park called "Explode".

Stop it, you're makin' me hungry!

Coincidentally, I just ate some beef stew for lunch.

But with the blast shield down, I can't even see! How am I supposed to fight?

Don't trust your eyes, they'll deceive you.

GBD. Golden brown and delicious.

Mmmmm...hash browns...

It looked like a fascinating visit!

Absolutely!
 
Come on, you both know I had few readers long before the lull.
One of the excuses I used for leaving it set so long
:sad2:

Well, whatever you lacked in the quantity of readers, you certainly made up for in quality.

Right?

Anyone?

Bueller?

At least there wasn’t a snare net set up in front of that food truck.

We wouldn't have been able to get ourselves out so easily, that's for sure.

That certainly came in under the heading of Bad Day.
I’ll let them finish cleaning up, but that’s another one of those places on my must see list.

I can't say I would work too hard to make the drive there. But then again, I can see the launches from Wallops from my deck!:woohoo:

I got a DVD copy of the series as a Christmas present a few years ago. It can still be gotten new for about $75 and there are copies on Ebay for less than $20. If two or three folks were to pitch in together (say like somebody’s older young’ens), then it would make for a fairly cost effective BD or Pappy’s Day present.

Just sayin’…

I'll keep an eye out! I need something to watch now that Justified has finished its run.

At its height in 1966 NASA garnered 4.5% of the budget. It’s been under 1% of total budget since 1976, and is now approaching pre 1960 percentage levels and dropping.

I think we could do more.

Just don't ask what percentage of the budget constitutes debt service now.:scared1:

Voyager was aimed directly out of the solar system and isn’t scheduled to reach even the next closest star for over 40,000 years. I’ve got’s me doubts on that one.

Spock will find it. Don't you worry.

“…large machines that move quickly”… remember?

As you might imagine, I keep tabs for space vessels that I need to see in the same file where I track the ships and other such that I need to see. I’ve gotten up close with 8 of 31 on the capsules and 2 of the remaining 5 shuttles so far. Meaning I’ve got more traveling to do.

Better get a move on!

It was and I most certainly did.
Now I need to get back and catch all the rest of the stuff I didn’t have enough time for.

Oh, and I found a couple of images that may help some folks get a handle on the ridiculous scale of the VAB…

This was taken from the roof of the building looking down on the front lot where they were setting up the Bicentennial science and technology expo…

And you can see where they use to have that Saturn-V parked too.

Good one! This view definitely gives a better handle on the size of the building.

And this one I took a couple weeks ago from the upper deck of the Disney Fantasy.
(it’s better than twelve miles in the distance here and still dominates the landscape).

I have one of those shots myself!:thumbsup2

One of many great lines from one heck of a film.
Just imagine having been one of the folks that actually lived the mission.

Very stressful. Then, a great story afterwards.

The other line I use all the time is, "There are 1,000 things that need to happen between now and then. We're on number 8."

Apparently, and I’m working on it.
Just remember…
This will be entirely y’all two’s fault.

Muahahahahaha.
 

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