On the Road 8 x 30; 24 x 7

04-29-2005 U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Saturn V at U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL

Friday, April 29, we lounged this morning after our soggy hike of yesterday. Around 9:30 an older couple backed a small 5th wheel into the double camp site next to us. We figure someone will join them later. But we left to check out the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville off I-565 at One Tranquility Base.. We spent an enjoyable 3 to 4 hours re-living the history of space exploration during our lifetime!

Full Stack of the Space Shuttle at US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL The Center has incredible displays of artifacts from our nation's space program. We both really enjoyed the IMAX Spacedome Theater's film on the International Space Station shown on the 67-foot, curved-screen, narrated by Tom Cruise. The museum took a step back in time and covered Huntsville's vital contribution to the U.S. Space Program including the manufacture and design of the solid rocket fuel boosters for the Space Shuttle Program. Outside on the grounds is the only place in the world where you can stand behind a 'full stack' --the Space Shuttle, external tank and two solid rocket boosters. You can see one on the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but you can't get this close. It looms more than 80 feet above the ground and has a wing span of 78 feet. My pictures don't really give you an indication of how big the darn thing is. Me and another guy with a camera had to walk a long way back just to get the whole thing in the frame. Rear view of Full Stack of the Space Shuttle at US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL. Bob is in the black shirt reading the plaque. The fuel tank is 153 feet in length with a diameter of 27 ft. Gross lift-off weight is 1,655,000 lbs. The propellants are liquid oxygen (1,361,000 lbs.) and liquid Hydrogen (227,000 lbs.)

U.S. Senator and former astronaut John Glenn called this outdoor Rocket Park "the finest rocket collection in the world." The Saturn V is here and listed as a Registered National Historic Landmark. Constructed by The Boeing Company, it is 363 ft. in length, 33 ft. in diameter, it weighs 4,881,000 lbs, has thrust of 7,500,000 lbs, and used liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants. All of the 2 million plus gallons of fuel burns in two and a half minutes.

Rear view of Saturn V engines at US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL. We left with our heads spinning thinking of opportunities missed in our lifetime to be part of the Space Program. By this time lunch was on our brains. Bob spied Old Madison Pike and we sought out West End Grill that we had seen in our brochures. I enjoyed Blackened Tuna and Bob had Buffalo Steak. I picked up their business card on the way out. When we got home I saw on the back "FREE wireless INTERNET ACCESS." What a bummer. We didn't have our laptop with us anyway.

We were home by 4:00. Bob swept off the awnings and the roof. We read the paper and lounged then watched a little TV. Patti and Bernie called and we chatted in spite of whatever interference is bothering the cell phone up here on the Mountain. We watched TV and read for a bit. I called my nephew, Travis, after 9:00. We're trying to work out a meeting place for fishing in May.

There are thunderstorm and tornado warnings out tonight here in Madison County until 5:00 a.m. The wind sounded like a freight train coming up the mountain but it must have blown right over the top of the trailer because we were not being rocked at all.

It's 10:36 p.m. and 63.5 degrees.