Final Shuttle Launch

Launch day has arrived! Clay was able to get VIP tickets for the launch through a coworker. We get to the visitors' center around 7:30 in the morning. We dressed the girls in their new sparkly space shirts. Then we walked by the rocket garden to board the bus to the Saturn 5 Rocket center. Check out those rocket nozzles.

We had a few hours before the launch to tour the facility. Here is the actual Apollo capsule from from one of the last missions. Check out the black burn marks from re-entry. Can you believe that 3 men fit in there! Moon dust on Alan Shepard's spacesuit.

Here is a look at what the viewing area looked like. Yes, there were 5500 other VIPs with us.

Now for the grand finale -the launch of Atlantis STS-135 -the final voyage of the space shuttle program. It was an amazing experience to witness this historic event. The Atlantis is scheduled to return on July 20 -the 42nd anniversary of man's first step on the moon (and my sister's birthday).

Thoughts from Clay: My father woke me up one early April morning in 1981 (I was 7) to watch Columbia blast off and took me to a Discovery launch in Florida when I was a teenager. I wanted to provide my wife and children with the same experience. We were there to see Atlantis blast off on that beautiful July morning. It was electrifying.

Kennedy Space Center

We drove all night to get to Florida for the last launch of the space shuttle. It is hard to believe that after 30 years, they won't be using the shuttle anymore. I remember the first launch, I was 5 at the time. I thought it was a normal thing we did. We arrived the day before launch to tour the Kennedy Space Center visitors' complex.

We got their just in time for the Mission Briefing. They talked about what cargo the shuttle was transporting and the history of the shuttle missions.

Here we are in front of replicas of the shuttle, solid rocket boosters, and an Orion rocket.


Clay and Emma went on the Shuttle Launch Simulation. Rebekah was not tall enough. She and I went into a special waiting room where we could watch the program AND watch Clay and Emma in the ride. The concept didn't seem too much different from Star Tours at Disney.

There was also a cool exhibit on Star Trek. Check out the cool original Khan costume. They also had the whole bridge of the original Enterprise set up. We had fun trying out Captain Kirk's chair.