If you want to take a glimpse of the exciting sights of space frontier then, visit Kennedy Space Center located on Merritt Island, Florida. You will experience the thrill of simulated rocket launch, meet the Astronauts at the Astronaut Encounter, take a guided bus tour, explore the Rocket Garden, be amazed of the gigantic display of the Apollo/Saturn V Rocket and many more. Kennedy Space Center is indeed one of the major tourist destinations in Florida and if you are vacationing in Orlando, you can reach the Kennedy Space Center for about an hour drive. I can come here any day I want for I have a Commander's Pass and I live about 15 minutes away... I so love this place. Let me show you about Astronaut Memorial which is one of the attractions at the Kennedy Space Center.
"The Astronauts Memorial Foundation honors and memorializes those astronauts who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the American Space program, believing that the conquest of space is worth the risk of life."
The Challenger's STS-51L Astronauts: Teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis, Mission Specialist Judy Resnik, Commander Dick Scobee, Mission Specialist Ronald McNair, Pilot Michael Smith and Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka.
It was Jan. 28, 1986, after 73 seconds of lift-off, an explosion occurred and claimed the space shuttle Challenger and its 7 crew. The explosion was determined to be an O-ring failure in the right solid rocket booster and cold weather is a contributing factor.
Robert H. Lawrence was killed in the crash of F-104 Starfighter at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He was flying backseat on the mission as instructor pilot for a flight test trainee learning the steep-descent glide technique.
The airplane struck the ground hard and it caught fire. The back seat, which delays a moment to avoid hitting the front seat, ejected sideways thus killing him in an instant.
The STS-107 mission is Migrogravity Research Mission/SPACEHAB. The 7 crew was on board the Space Shuttle Columbia. Their Launch Pad is 39A on January 16, 2003, 10:39 a.m. EST. On board the space shuttle: Commander Rick Husband, Pilot Willie McCool, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon.
It was Feb. 1, 2003 after a 16-day mission but, Columbia and crew were lost during reentry over East Texas at about 9 a.m. EST, about 16 minutes prior to the scheduled touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center. A seven-month investigation followed. The KSC debris reconstruction team identified pieces as to the location on the orbiter and 38 percent Columbia was recovered.
A tragedy struck on the launch pad during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204). The mission was to be the first crewed flight of Apollo which was scheduled to launch Feb. 21, 1967. The Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee were killed when a fire swept through the command module.
It was in the year 1966 when NASA T-38 crash occurred. NASA Northrop T-38 Talon crashed at Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri killing two Project Gemini astronauts, Elliot See and Charles Bassett.
The X-15- dropped away from the NB-52B at 45,000 feet over Delamar Dry Lake. Major Michael J. Adams was making his seventh X-15 flight. There was an electrical disturbance which distracted him and slightly degraded the control of the aircraft. A chase pilot spotted the main wreckage northwest of Cuddeback. Mike Adams was dead and the the X-15-3 was destroyed.
Manley L. "Sonny" Carter, Jr died on April 5, 1991 near New Brunswick, Georgia, in the crash of a commercial airplane while on NASA business travel. That's all for now folks. If you will get the chance, please visit the Kennedy Space Center soon.
I wasn't really into the sky. Probably because I'm scared of heights..? But I have great respect for those who are courageous and brilliant enough to work for NASA. :)
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