Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Johnson Space Center, Feb 1, 2011

We changed our RV neighborhood on Sunday, moving about 6 miles to League City, TX.  We are waiting for a new RV tire which is suppose to be here already, but is not. 

The rains came down this morning, glad the RV and Explorer are on slightly higher ground. 

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After some of the water went down, we were able to get out and headed towards the Johnson Space Center.  (Printed out our tickets online and save $5 each.)

Our first must do event at the Space Center was the tram tour.  This is the room, the historic Mission Control room, in which the famous words were first heard. “Houston, we have a problem.”  Check out the link for the actual wording of those words.

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Five years ago when we visited before, there was a huge slide rule mounted on the wall, but is now gone.  The slide rule is what was used to do most of the calculations needed for the flights.  Their only computers were two room sized IBM main frames.

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This is one of three remaining Saturn V launch vehicles.  It is on loan from the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum.  It was HUGE!

 

 

 

This is the command module from Apollo 17.  The hatch door was opened so anyone could touch…and I did!!

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“Apollo 17 was the sixth and last Apollo mission in which humans walked on the lunar surface. On 11 December 1972 two astronauts (Commander Eugene A. Cernan and LM pilot Harrison H. Schmitt, the first scientist on the Moon) landed in the Taurus-Littrow region of the Moon in the Lunar Module (LM) while the Command and Service Module (CSM) (with CM pilot Ronald E. Evans) continued in lunar orbit. During their stay on the Moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, and collected lunar samples. The LM took off from the Moon on 14 December and the astronauts returned to Earth on 19 December, 1972.”

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If I lived on Mars, I would have no need to watch my weight, as I would be a very slim 59.6 pounds.

Below I am getting to touch a prepared piece of Moon Rock.

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For all who are wondering how do the astronauts do what they do – like going to the bathroom, this lady have us the whole scoop.  The two black bars near her hand actually hold you on the toilet seat.  Another nice visit to the NASA Johnson Space Center.

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