With nothing else to do before heading to the airport for my flight back home, I decided to head to the Kennedy Space Center. Well, this was after sleeping in too late (hey, it was only 7:00am in the Pacific time zone), packing, and checking out of the hotel.
My goal was to see one of the two IMAX movies that are showing there. (Exercise for the reader: try to find the show times in advance on their web site.) Based on a rough guess, I figured it'd take about an hour to get to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center. So I headed over, following signs for KSC and/or Cape Canaveral.
Fifty-seven minutes later, I arrived at the Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Parking lot (which, amazingly, is free) and headed over to the ticket area. I got the cheapest possible ticket, since I didn't have any time for the bus tours (next time I visit, I guess). I then headed over to the line for the 1:00 showing of The Dream is Alive.
Visitors are advised to get in line 15 minutes before the show. I got in line at 12:40pm and was surprised to find that they open the doors at 12:45pm. I was nearly at the head of the line and managed to snag a prime seat--second row from the top, middle.
I've always been a sucker for both IMAX and any films related to the space program. As you can guess, I enjoyed the 40 minute show. It left enough time for me the swing by one of the two gift shops (talk about overkill) and grab a few t-shirts and mugs (the big kind, not for coffee). You see, I try to get a decent t-shirt and mug from every place I visit.
After that, I headed to the airport to begin the journey of getting home.
Posted by jzawodn at April 18, 2004 11:21 PM
I can't believe they still show The Dream is Alive. I saw that at least a dozen times in the late 80s, at Space Camp and the National Air & Space Museum. I have a VCR tape and CD soundtrack of it somewhere. I loved the emergency ride from the launch tower, and the sound of the shuttle's landing gear coming out.
That is a great IMAX movie, but I haven't had the opportunity to see any recent films. I don't know if the Space Station movie is a modern equivalent, and they still show the Dream for historic/nostalgic purposes, or if the seemingly lessened enthusiasm for manned spaceflight today has made it impossible to create a film on par with the Dream is Alive. I hope it's not the latter!
As I get older it's frustrating to see the slow pace of manned spaceflight progress these days. Someday I'd like to get to orbit, and not have to spend 20 million to do it.
