"Images of America: Northern Arizona Space Training" by Kevin Schindler and William Sheehan with Forward by Carolyn Shoemaker

I have been so hung up on Arizona after getting back from our visit.  The state has so much going for it.  I love it.

I have picked up some books to read after coming back from that trip.  The "Images of America" volume "Northern Arizona Space Training" was a great one to flip through after our return home.

I loved that the Apollo astronauts trained at places we have visited- the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater and Sunset Crater.

I still get goosebumps thinking about all that happened with Apollo.  What they accomplished, even half a century later has not been matched.

This book, like most of the Images of America entries, is just a nice collection of photos and it is a quick and easy read.  Of course you are going to want to go through it slowly, and enjoy the adventure.

 

Gus Grissom Museum Spring Mill Indiana March 2021

 In March of 2021 we visited the wonderful Gus Grissom Museum in the Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell Indiana!

"Sky Walking: An Astronaut's Memoir" by Tom Jones

I have really been craving a good book about space for some time.  Also, we were going to Florida, so I wanted to read something with a Kennedy Space Center connection.  Luckily, I found "Sky Walking" by Tom Jones!

Tom ended up going into space on four different shuttle missions, and accomplished a lot!

In his book, he talks about the stressors of applying to be an astronaut.  Even guys who are at the top of their game have a hard time making it, as NASA is very selective.  As I read the beginning of the book, I have to admit that I felt a little nervous as he discusses his feelings that he might not make it.  Sure, there is a HUGE picture of an astronaut on a space walk on the cover of the book, and it is subtitled "An Astronauts Memoir" but I really could feel his anxiety!

Even more stressful is Tom's description of the stress placed on his wife and two young children as he trains for his first mission!  Sadly, his daughter gets a hold of a book about the Challenger Disaster.  You can imagine the fear that that caused.

Tom Jones does talk very openly about the threat of not surviving a mission.  Other NASA employees agree to help out with a fellow astronauts family if something tragic occurs.  Insurance policies are secured, wills are written out.

Those anxious feeling evolve into pure excitement as Tom finally makes it to space on STS-59.  You do feel the pure fright and excitement that his wife, kids AND mom feel!  After several delays, he makes it up to be an official astronaut!

It seems the emotions go from pure excitement (seeing the Earth from a spaceship) to crazy anxiety (a shuttle mission being cancelled a couple of seconds before liftoff).  Not only that, Tom deals with how much chaos not being able to open a door in space can be.  He also talks openly about trying all of the issues involved in building a space station with the Russians!

This is a great book that really describes the life (and career) of an astronaut.

Basket Meteorite

Hey, do you know the story on this one?

This piece was stolen from the Meteor Crater site in 1968!

It was returned in 2006. I heard a story that a guy bought it at a garage sale thinking he could scrap it, but ended up keeping it to balance a basketball goal! After a bit of research, he found out that it was a significant piece of the Crater- and he pretty much just gave it back to the museum there.

National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC

Book: Moon Walker by Charlie Duke

I still get a kick out of hearing about the Apollo program. In fact, I am a little baffled by the fact that everyone isn't still amazing by what we did during that period.

Only a fist full of guys have stepped on the moon. Charlie Duke is one of them.

I really enjoyed his book "Moon Walker." Duke talks about his time working his way up through the military ranks, and getting involved with NASA.

The book talks a lot about his time to, from, and on the moon. Obviously, that is the story most people want to hear. Duke doesn't let the reader down.

I was glad the he talks about many of the little details. Using the bathroom in space, the troubles of drinking orange juice while in a space suit, and other odd issues are covered.

Duke really comes off as a nice guy, and I am glad that he and his wife stick together for so long. The story of them meeting, dealing with astronaut issues (he IS away from home a lot) and finding a way to keep things going is very nice.

Charlie spends time talking about the stressors of the Apollo program ending. He has trouble figuring out what he should do next. Ultimately, he gets involved in beer distribution, but he later leaves that behind, feeling some ethical issues tugging at him.

Charlie does go on an extensive religious kick at the end of the book (he is very open about his Christianity). For those not interested in reading about his religious views, he does save it for the end. The first 250 pages or so are pretty much the story of his life and space exploration. The last 30 pages or so are his testimony. Someone not interested in that part could still read about Duke's life and not feel preached to if they skip the end.

Kennedy Space Center Complex- Florida

Going to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of not just this road trip, but of all of our road trips.

I am still amazed by space travel, the Apollo program, the ISS, and our Space Shuttles. I have to admit that it makes me a little sad that these things are a bit undervalued these days.

Ask any kid- heck, ask anyone, when the last Shuttle went up. They can't tell you if it was last month, last year, or a decade ago. They can name the American Idol winners in order though I bet.


Space Exploration is still exciting. It is still relevant. It gives me goosebumps!

At the Apollo/Saturn V Center, they showed that great film of JFK talking about going to the moon. They played that great quote about choosing to go to the moon because it is hard.

I thought about a friend recently arguing that there is no reason to go to the moon again. Man, could we use a little Kennedy attitude now!

So, getting the chance to visit the Kennedy Space Center was very exciting for me personally. We bought a ticket that included a bus trip through the launch areas. This was a great value, as our guide pointed out not only the launch pads, but a lot of wildlife. We saw manatees, turtles, and eagles (look at the picture!)! The photo of the alligator was taken from my car while the gator was in a ditch directly across from the main visitor center area.

I could go on and on about this area. I felt a little down on the bus ride back to the visitor center. They showed a video hosted by Gene Cernan (the last man to walk on the moon as of this time). In the video, Gene talks optimistically about the future of space exploration, even after the retirement of the Shuttles. Well, you may know that our space program is a bit in limbo at this time. Its future is uncertain. Not only that, but there are many people working at Kennedy Space Center that, after the Space Shuttles are all retired, will likely be unemployed. The Kennedy Space Center area could be devastated.

For now though (and hopefully in the future) the area is lively. LUCKILY, they were just awarded one of the shuttles, which should draw some visitors and help out.

A cool feature at the Space Center is that they have an actual astronaut at the Center each day! While I was there, Apollo astronaut (APOLLO ASTRONAUT!!!!) Al Worden was there! Seeing Al do his presentation, and getting his autograph was worth the ticket price alone.

Anyway, The Kennedy Space Center is a must visit at least once in a lifetime.

Titusville Post Office- FL.

Postcard: Meteor Crater between Flagstaff and Winslow Arizona

"This crater was formed by the falling of an immense meteor which threw out over 300,000,000 tons of debris. It is 700 feet deep and three miles in circumference. The meteor is estimated to weigh 5,000,000 tons and is composed of iron, nickel, platinum, and other rare materials. The crater is easily accessible to visitors."

This is still a great stop when vacationing in Arizona.

Huntsville US Space & Rocket Center

I am not that great with history, but if I understand correctly, you can almost pinpoint the start of the Cold War to a few moments after World War II. Right at the end of that War, the Russians and Americans raced to a little area in Germany and plucked out their best scientific minds. I think both countries took whatever rocket scientists they could, promised not to hold that whole Nazi thing against them, and brought them to their countries.



In American, many of those scientists hung out in the Huntsville Alabama area doing rocket stuff.



They still do a lot of rocket research there. They also have the really cool US Space and Rocket Center.



Check out their website to read about all of the cool space artifacts on display. They have many rockets there. In fact, as we drove up to the area, the site of huge rockets pointed to the sky is a little scary. It reminded me of some apocalyptic movie.

The center has every bit of information you might ever want to know about rockets and space exploration.

They also do "Space Camp" here. I thought that looked pretty fun. We did see a few groups of kids running around in blue uniforms. I wasn't sure if they appreciated what they were getting, but Space Camp looked fun to me!













http://www.spacecamp.com/museum/

NASA Glenn Visitor Center

Near the Cleveland Airport is the NASA Glenn Research Center. I know that last year there was talk of moving the displays at the visitor center to the Great Lakes Science Center. I thought I should put a few pictures up of the visitor center before its move.