Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Remember Whensday No. 33 - Huntsville & NASA

This week for the Remember Whensday meme, I am returning to Huntsville, Alabama. Recent tweets from Kennedy Space Center and NASA had me thinking about a trip that included a stop at the Alabama Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, sometime in the late 70's.

Karen, Rick & Sally @ Marshall Space Center

While this isn't the greatest of pictures (what the heck is up with my sister?), this is the three of us sitting inside a space capsule. I do not remember if this was a mockup or a real one.

At the time we were there, the space shuttle program was still in development. I remember being able to see inside a mockup of the shuttle as well as other exhibits and simulators about the shuttle and other space programs. I think there was a exhibit sort of like the old carnival Round Up ride that let you get an idea on G-Force.

That visit has always stayed with me and I still like to follow along with the going-ons of the space program. I never wanted to be an astronaut but space flight is fascinating! Going to Space Camp would have been cool though.

Here are some of the postcards I bought during this visit. Wish I could find more pictures of our time there, but came up empty.

Marshall Space Flight Center
Tours of the Marshall Space Flight Center are conducted by the Alabama Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL 35807


Orbiter on NASA 747 in Huntsville
The Orbiter Vehicle "Enterprise" arrived in Huntsville, AL in March 1978 to begin testing for the first flight in 1979. The Orbiter is 122 ft. long, 78 ft. wide, and is the first "Space Airplane."

Alabama Space and Rocket Center
The world's largest space vehicle, the Apollo Saturn V, is exhibited at the Space Center. The Center is open year around from 9 to 5.

Dynamic Test Stand - Marshall Space Flight Center
Constructed to test the 363 ft. (110.7m) Saturn V Moon Rocket, the stand has been converted for Space Shuttle testing. This is part of the NASA Bus Tour conducted by the Alabama Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL 35807

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2 comments:

Gaelyn said...

Nice memory Sally. Traveling into space would be exciting.

Sorry I've missed your meme, but I'm just about out of "old" photos. Most of them were lost in a flood many years ago.

Janie said...

It's so fun to go back and look through old photos, reliving those memories. The space center visit is a great one. I was always fascinated with the space program. We visited the Houston center with our kids in the 80's.