Atlantis.

[kv0925]

Just one from this past weekend. This is the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis, retired to her very cool new home at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex. After a first introductory movie about the development of the Space Shuttle program, you walk into a room where a second film about Atlantis' exploits is projected on a screen in front of you, then a curtain goes up behind the screen so it becomes a scrim, and you find yourself looking at the orbiter through a projected field of stars and it looks like it's hanging there in space. It's really a very nice effect, glad I knew to expect it so I could grab a shot. Not a bad job eyeballing the manual settings, too, if I do say so myself!

Comments

[nick-101.livejournal.com]

That place looks awesome.

[cp.livejournal.com]

I've been to KSC lots of times since I grew up over there, but they just opened up the Atlantis exhibit a couple months ago so it was my first time seeing that. Very cool indeed.

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

Someday, I am going to visit more than just the Tampa and Orlando areas. This looks really cool.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a pretty neat place--at least, it is if you have any interest at all in space travel and exploration! It almost makes me sad, though, to think that historically we've spent so much more money as a nation killing people than we have in exploring even our little corner of the cosmos, you know?

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

It IS sad.

I think it was Neil DeGrasse Tyson who said that the only way to rekindle the space program is to have another Cold War. I found that rather disheartening, particularly since I have a lot of friends who work for JPL. There is so much potential, yet no money goes toward it or to education. Plenty to spend on war here though, and that is just tragic.

/rant.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Oh, rant away, I could not agree more. And what really burns me up is that there is absolutely LOTS of room for profit in all the industries and endeavors we SHOULD be pursuing, you know? The space program is a perfect example--directly or indirectly, it has produced or enhanced so much of the technology we take for granted these days, and upon which corporations have massively capitalized. I suspect the same could be said for environmentally-friendly technology and power and vehicles and homes and you-name-it--we could be keeping the planet habitable for humans AND stimulating our economy, if we would just spend even a fraction of our military and so-called Homeland Security budgets on hard science and R&D and subsidizing the development and adoption of those technologies. Hell, we could even become a world leader in technological advancement and manufacturing again. But the old guard of our economy still want to make their money with oil and guns since that's worked so well for them in the past century. Our only hope is that the next generation feels differently--or that the planet finally gets angry enough to MAKE us listen and silence the people who still place profit above.. well, everything.

Now THAT is a rant. ;)

[audamy.livejournal.com]

That looks so awesome. Is there a lot of stuff to see at the visitor complex? I've been thinking about taking a trip to Orlando with a friend and we were thinking it might be cool to do something outside of Orlando one day.

[cp.livejournal.com]

You know, it used to be kinda rinky-dink--what was there was fascinating stuff for anyone remotely interested in space exploration, but it all had a sort of ho-hum presentation. It was also free to get in, which is probably why the low-budget feel. But some time ago they started charging for admission (and parking, of course), and with the money that brought in they've really fixed the place up and expanded their offerings. There really is enough to fill a day, and I haven't even done everything they've added in the past few years, like the Space Shuttle Launch Experience (which I gather is a sort of motion-simulation ride). There are several museum/display halls, which are low-key but nicely done. There's an IMAX theater with mostly spacey educational films. There's a bus tour included with admission that's pretty cool, which makes a few stops for photo opportunities, and ends with a stop at the Apollo-Saturn V Center, which is dedicated to the Apollo program (the one that took us to the moon, of course)--the centerpiece is a Saturn V rocket that runs horizontally through the place, which you walk underneath--pretty amazing to see how massive the thing was. And the Atlantis building, where I took the shot above, is the newest addition. Really well done, and the orbiter itself is just about close enough to touch (though I imagine they would frown on that). :) All in all, if the topic interests you I would say it's worth the drive and price of admission--it's about an hour from Orlando, but you could conceivably also hit the beach over there while you're at the coast.

[audamy.livejournal.com]

Okay, that actually sounds really awesome. I was the kid who always wished I could go to space camp that that seems like it would be my sort of thing. I tried convincing my college housemates to go check it out when we were in Cocoa Beach on spring break our senior year but that was ages ago and it sounds like it probably wasn't as cool back then either.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Ooh, this comment totally made me want to download that 80s Space Camp flick and see if the kids would enjoy it. :)

And yeah, it's really just in the past couple years that I think the place really earns its place as an attraction worth a special trip from Orlando. Definitely check it out next time you're in the area!

[audamy.livejournal.com]

The one with Lea Thompson? I LOVED that movie as a kid.

I'm definitely going to have to e-mail my friend about it. We want to take a trip to Orlando to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter so what better way to cap off our nerdy mini-vacation than learning about space? :P

[cp.livejournal.com]

Ooh, WWOHP is awesome, highly recommended. But you know Universal is currently working on an expansion, right? They're building a Diagon Alley section in the Studios park (WWOHP presently is in the Islands of Adventure park) and there will be a Hogwarts Express train ride linking the two sections. Sounds pretty sweet, you might hold off until that's all open, tentatively sometime next year. Maybe plan your trip for next fall, it should be open by then and crowds and weather are both better in the fall. :)

[audamy.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that! But thanks, I'm definitely going to hold off on that trip until it opens up.

[kiiabby.livejournal.com]

Excellent shot! :)

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I need to make a post with more from my visit, but it's been a crazy week at work!

[breadnecklace.livejournal.com]

omg that's so awesome!

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I thought it came out pretty well myself. :)