Leah and I had counted down to the last possible day when we could tour Kennedy Space Center (KSC) while still parked at Melbourne’s Land Yacht Harbor,

an Airstream-only campground (with a sprinkling of some other brands–SOBs), mostly occupied by retirees and their vintage motorhomes,

and trailers.

At first, the weather on the Space Coast was uncooperative–cold and rainy–but we were determined to time our visit in conjunction with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch–the first scheduled launch of the year, where the rocket’s reusable first stage would attempt a controlled landing back at Cape Canaveral Air Force base. Of course, we were departing for Playa del Carmen on Saturday, so we had also run out of time.

With a break in the weather, we would make a day of it at KSC,

and apparently, so would thousands of other visitors. With the rest of the country seemingly paralyzed by meat locker temperatures the first week of 2018, we felt fortunate to feel the sun through brisk winds and crisp air.

After mapping our itinerary for the day at the nearby Visitor Center, we filed past the admission gate…

through a labyrinth of attractions dedicated to Mars exploration…

and a dedication to fallen explorers…

in search of an Astronaut Encounter…

with Heidi Piper…

a mission specialist, credited with flights aboard Atlantis in 2006 and Endeavor in 2008 to expand the systems and living quarters aboard the International Space Station. In addition to following her career from Navy to NASA, her presentation included factoids about the Shuttle and the shittle, detailing the water-recycling and freeze-drying properties of the squateroo.

Following a profound 3D IMAX film on space exploration–as only Captain Picard, aka Sir Patrick Stewart could narrate–we gravitated to the Orbit Cafe…

where freeze-dried ice cream was not an option on the menu (albeit, available at the gift shop).

From there, it was an hour-long queue…

with enlightening graphics along the way,

for the tour bus…

that carried us to the Apollo/Saturn V Center, with drive-by glimpses of the Vehicle Assembly Building,

and a launch pad along the way.

After experiencing a multimedia simulation of the Apollo 8 lift-off,

we were giddy with excitement to witness the technology that captured Kennedy’s imagination and took us to the moon. But nothing prepared us for the enormity of the Saturn V rocket stretching across a football stadium-sized hanger.

Measuring 111m/363 ft long,

we slowly strolled the length of the boosters, making our way through the different stages suspended above our heads…

before approaching the grounded command module,

which dwarfed the Apollo 13 L.E.M. hovering above us.

Behind a bordering wall, the Apollo 14 capsule rested on a protected pedestal in a dimly lit room which seemed to heighten the drama.

We transitioned to a multi-sensory surround presentation of a space shuttle launch, culminating in a dazzling, thunderous lift-off that shook our core. When the exhaust plume cleared, the projection scrim rose for the big reveal…

giving all of us a true appreciation for the engineering wizardry that could shoot a glider strapped to a rocket into space,

and have it safely return to earth…flying a total of 33 missions and over 126,000,000 miles before retiring!

And how apropos, that the mission transport vehicle selected by NASA should feature an Airstream to introduce our astronauts into space?

Unfortunately, the SpaceX mission that we so wanted to witness was put off until Sunday, when a worthier weather window made the wonder more winsome.

This is how the launch looked to us from Mexico, where we streamed it in awe.