Sat 23rd Feb: Kennedy Space Centre

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created in 1958 to carry out the “peaceful exploration and use of space”. Presumably the word “peaceful” was inserted to remind the Russians that the word “military” could be substituted if necessary. 

The sharp end of the NASA space programme is the Kennedy Space Centre on the east coast of Florida, about 40 miles from our campsite. It is the rocket final assembly and launching complex, and is named after JFK whose enthusiastic support moved the programme forward dramatically in the 60’s, resulting in a moon landing in July 1969. Following on came the space shuttle programme, International Space Lab, Hubble Telescope and numerous satellite launches. There is now a huge commercial aspect to NASA’s operations. 

This is Guiness Book of Records country, so let’s start with one of the World’s largest buildings, the Vehicle Assembly Building. Every name here is reduced to an acronym, so it’s the VAB from now on, and here it is, as we saw it from the tour bus:

 

All the space vehicles are assembled and maintained inside this building and from here they are taken by crawler, a giant caterpillar tractor, to their designated launch pad. The VAB structure is 525 feet tall with an interior volume equal to nearly 4 times that of the Empire State Building in New York.  

The tour bus proceeds to the observation gantry, and we get off. This is the closest location allowed for launch viewing, and on those days it is closed to tourists. The main launch pad is LC39A, as seen from the observation gantry. The white dome on the left is for liquid oxygen storage, the one on the right for liquid nitrogen. These are rocket fuels.

We get off the bus again at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. The Apollo missions were the manned moon landings and Saturn V the rocket that propelled them there.

As a technical description of a fully loaded, 363 feet high, 2,750 tonne Saturn V rocket, I can do no better than copy this Google entry:  

The Saturn V (pronounced "Saturn Five") was an American rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fuelled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn V’s from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida with no loss of crew or payload. It remains the tallest, heaviest, and most powerful rocket ever brought to operational status and still holds the record for the heaviest launch vehicle payload.

 And here it is, the mighty Saturn V, totally impressive. Before being directed to the rocket itself, we were given a simulated countdown and launch in the very control room used for the Apollo moon missions. Very realistic and atmospheric.

The exhibits give some idea of the high risks and cramped conditions the astronauts endured. The re-entry capsule’s exterior shows burn marks from the extreme heat on re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. But you do have to stop yourself imagining a probe on the front and a shrill metallic voice screeching “exterminate!”

Equally prone to flights of imagination are some of the early space suits. Did space knights wear these for jousting?

This one must be for a fancy dress party, right down to the goldfish bowl helmet and bike reflectors!

Even the lunar landing model can’t escape an alternative interpretation. A DIY job for the local carnival. Ran out of nice strong cardboard, so finished off the base with gold foil Christmas wrapping paper. Design based roughly on Kellogs Corn Flakes toy.

These light-hearted asides aren’t meant to trivialise the awe-inspiring achievements of the space programme visionaries. We gained some understanding of the hazards, and of the courage of the men and women who made these journeys, and of the huge commitment in manpower and resources that made it possible. 

The bus took us back to the Visitor Center where there are many more exhibits and facilities to explore, a few of which we did. But that’s another story. We are returning for a further visit which will hopefully include a rocket launch. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 20th Feb: Airboat Ride

The first question many people would ask is, “what’s an airboat?” A photo of the smallest type, parked on land, best illustrates the basic design.

It’s a flat bottom boat driven from behind by an aircraft propeller encased in a frame for safety, like a fan. It has no keel, rudder or engine screw protruding in the water to get tangled in weeds or debris, so it can negotiate open water, swamp or waterlogged ground without breaking its stride.

Technical Notes

The tourist boats offered by all the airboat ride outfits seem to come in two sizes: 6 or 17 seats, both powered by the same beefy Continental 520 aircraft engine producing some 300 hp and capable of 45 plus mph. Racing airboats can reach 135 mph. Engine noise is high enough for the operators to provide us with ear defenders. Nobody used them.

Steering is based on aircraft principles with two rudders placed directly behind the propeller, swivelling the engine thrust to one side or other in order to make a turn. This can be a rapid skid turn, as our airboat pilot demonstrated.

 

 

We went with Boggy Creek Airboat Rides based at Lake Toho. This is one of their 17-seaters leaving the docking area for the swamps.

 We opt for a 6-seater excursion which is claimed to get  into more inaccessible parts of the swamp with close-up views of the wildlife. Whilst waiting for our departure slot, we get the baby alligator treatment. The object is, of course, to have your photo taken holding the alligator, which is quite docile and appealing.

We learn that the alligator’s 64 teeth replace themselves throughout its life and that it has little strength in the muscles used to open its jaws. The piece of tape holding the baby’s mouth shut is quite sufficient. However, once its jaws are open, the alligator can then exert a huge bite pressure. So keep that tape on!

Now we are in the swamp. In the airboat you sit almost on the surface of the swamp as the boat is so shallow, so it gives an impression of great speed when travelling flat out, much in excess of its true 45 mph. It’s too bumpy to take photos. This is us stopped to look at an alligator.

This is the alligator, an 8-footer according to the pilot/guide. He is very knowledgeable and points out osprey, bald eagle, wood stork, and ibis, just to mention a few. There are around 3,000 alligators on the lake and 1.5 million in Florida.

The swamp and lake water levels are now managed by dams and sluices within a range of 3 feet a year where previously it was some 10 feet. The vast lakes and swamps of central and southern Florida all eventually drain down into the biggest swamp of all, the Everglades, at the southern end of the State.

The guide’s eagle eyes spy a three banded watersnake partly out of the water on a lily pad. We half expect these dangerous creatures to suddenly launch themselves at us, but practically all wildlife will leave you alone as long as they don’t see you as a threat or dinner.

Speaking of dinner, a well-camouflaged limpkin has found a huge fresh water snail which he then vigorously repeatedly stabbbed with his long beak. A limpkin is a long-legged water bird with a metre wingspan, so we can guess the snail’s size at a huge 4 to 5 inches in diameter! Later, a Google search reveals that it is a Florida apple snail, the wold’s largest fresh water snail. Anyone for escargot and fries? Everything comes with fries in America.

The airboats might seem a tourist gimmick, but we got an inside look at a Florida swamp ecosystem in a most accessible way, and it made a very enjoyable and different day out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

KOA Kampground, Lake Whippoorwill, Orlando

KOA is a chain of 488 franchised campsites covering the USA. KOA stands for Kampgrounds Of America. The motorhome rental people arrange a 10% discount at KOA campsites so we stayed at several on our last visit to the USA. Even with 10% off, they still aren’t the cheapest but you do get guaranteed good standards, usually with wifi covering the whole site. So it’s a no-risk, pleasant place to start our adventure. Example: scenic path by the lake in the camp grounds. 

There is also much wildlife to be found in the campsite and the immediate vicinity. It’s different from UK species.  A pair of sandhill cranes is often seen wandering about. These are not camp pets, although they are reasonably accustomed to people, but will fly off if you get too near.

There are many unusual smaller birds, but the larger ones grab your attention first: turkey vultures for example. These are common, and gracefully ride the thermals overhead for most of the day. Sat on a lamppost these birds still look impressive, but actually look like rather sad, lonely turkeys on the ground.

A short distance away is Moss Park where the trees hang with wispy, Spanish moss, creating a kind of fairy tale effect. The enchanted forest. Spanish moss isn’t actually a moss but an air-plant and doesn’t  kill the trees, but may cause them to blow over more easily in high winds. This is typically what it looks like. 





From turkey vultures to wild turkeys. A bit more athletic looking than the Christmas dinner variety, but recognisable just the same.

Moss Park is one of hundreds of State and County protected wildlife areas in Florida. There may be a small charge for parking but in our case that’s an advantage because that means there’s somebody around to keep an eye on the motorhome. It may be a slight nuisance driving everywhere in a 25 foot vehicle, but we can at least fix lunch wherever we go and have cups of tea made with proper teabags brought from England. 

 

One keeps to the nature trails as dangerous animals and snakes lurk in the undergrowth. At least these are visible if they venture onto the paths. However, on this visit we see only cute creatures, for instance, a fox-squirrel and 9 banded armadillo.

Moss Park was a fascinating place, with numerous bird species as well, but these were difficult to photograph properly on the day.

 

We shopped at the supermarket on the way home. An interesting comment on the gun culture here in the States is how many firearms publications there were in the supermarket magazine section. Here’s a shot (!!) of the selection.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Arrival in Orlando, Florida

Wednesday 13th Feb

It’s 6.00 am and minus 3 degrees as we leave Alconbury. Starting a long journey is unreal. We’re perhaps just going to Tesco in Huntingdon. We’ve left in good time for the flight. This is fortunate as we get stuck in a mega M25 traffic jam less than 40 miles from Gatwick. 90 minutes worth of traffic jam. We arrived with just sufficient time to board. Does anyone manage to keep appointments when using the M25?

The theory of flight is well understood, but it’s still a miracle. 400 tonnes worth of Boeing 747 at over 500 mph, suspended on two slender wings. In the photo, the wing looks too flimsy to even support the engines (there’s another engine right, off camera).

From 36,000 feet there can be some wonderful views if it’s clear. Mostly it was cloudy or hazy, but here we are, directly over New York and in focus. The rainbow circle adds to the impression of a stolen glance into another world. Manhattan’s skyscrapers are just above the rainbow and look like a stand of trees. The Statue of Liberty is a matchstick on the smallest island, slightly below the centre of the picture

Now back to familiar territory for us- camping. Today is Saturday 16^th, and Jane is sat outside our rv  (American for motorhome) at KOA campground, Lake Whippoorwill. This is only a few miles from the rv depot and Orlando airport where we arrived. We’ll be here for two weeks, initially chilling out.

It’s exactly the same type of camper as for our last visit to the USA, so we soon settle into it again. Like the last motorhome, it is festooned on the outside with panoramic holiday-style prints. Maybe there’s a problem here, because the main print on the camper this time is of a very realistic road stretching into the distance. Parked side-on, in foggy weather, will we find a vehicle embedded in the bodywork, having taken the printed road?