We left the base around 9:30 am for the Kennedy Space Center about 20 miles north of here. Part of the Center, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, is open to the public. There is an admission charge and includes a large number of attractions exhibits and things to do, especially for children. Admission also includes a bus tour and visit through the restricted area to the Appollo/Saturn V Center not too far away from the actual missile launch complexes.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Other than the visitor center and the bus ride to the Appollo/Saturn center, the rest of the Space Center, is a restricted area closed to the public as it is an active missile launch complex with frequent missile launches, both military and civilian. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also is an active user and has exclusive use (ownership) of two major launch complexes. Other launch complexes are used by the military and others are reserved for public/private space launches. The future of space exploration, already well underway, is definitely going to be joint partnerships for many space initiatives and applications.
The major NASA initiative underway is the Artemis Project, the next generation of travel to the moon. The goal is to travel to and establish a permanent presence on the moon. It will include heavy lift rockets to establish travel to get there, the establishment of a gateway module in lunar orbit, to-and-from lunar lander travel, and the establishment of a living module on the moon surface. There hasn't been a lot of public attention paid to all of this but there will be as the project moves forward. The current plan is to all this in 5-years. An interesting footnote about the Artemis name: Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo in Greek Mythology and the Moon Goddess. And of course, Apollo was the name of the previous moon exploration project. Here is more information about what is coming.
While at the Saturn/Apollo visitor center we were able to see in the distance the Artemis-1 SLS rocket and Orion Spacecraft undergoing pre-launch testing at the launch complex. The first launch will be an unmanned trip around the moon in lunar orbit, presently scheduled for June 2022.
It was a long day but very interesting, informative and fun.
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