First visit to Kennedy Space Center

NASA had arranged for guests of the astronauts to have a tour of Kennedy Space Center and the shuttle area on Sunday, March 9.

We met Maki's parents for lunch in Titusville. Of all things, we found a Malaysian restaurant, the Pineapple Bay, in Titusville. The food was good and Maki and I enjoyed introducing Malaysian food to our parents.

The main activity of the day was getting our special passes to the family tour and launch. We had to go through a security screening at Kennedy Space Center before entering the administrative office to get our credentials.

Once we got our tickets, we were free to wander around Kennedy Space Center, which is kind of like a NASA Disneyland. We watched a 3D IMAX movie about the moon (narrated by Tom Hanks, of course), we walked through a couple of exhibits, we went inside a space shuttle, and went on the Shuttle Launch Experience ride. The Launch Experience ride is a trip. You get a little briefing, then you go on a ride that is meant to simulate a launch, complete with 45 degree angles and a bit of G force. Of course, we enjoyed space dots, the space age, frozen ice cream, which CJ just loved.

I especially liked the posters that showed the different technologies that were developed through the space program, like food safety testing, breast cancer screenings, climate change detection, etc., you get the idea. We all enjoyed seeing the inside of a space shuttle. The space shuttle is like a smallish plane, with pretty much just room for the astronauts and cargo.

After a full day or sightseeing at Kennedy Space Center, Maki's parents left for a NASA reception and to pick up Maki's brother. We had a fun dinner at Taco Bell. I could tell I was going to get a lot of junk food on this trip. So much for Joe Dillon.