Florida 6: Vignettes.

A selection of photos from the Kennedy Space Centre:

They were told how to put their hands on their hips (if they must).  The thumbs should be to the rear and the fingers forward.

Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff

Legends.

PA announcer:  "Of course, the Smithsonian doesn't have one of these..."

How the mighty are fallen:  a fern grows in a Titan rocket engine.

Mercury capsule seat.  To my eye it looks crude and unfinished - but someone sat in this chair, on
the top of a controlled explosion, and successfully made it to Earth orbit.

The Apollo 11 capsule.  It looks roomier than the Mercury capsule, until you realize that three men
in bulky spacesuits were wedged into that space like sardines in a can.

The six million pound crawler-transporter used to transport rockets to the launch pads.  Frankly,
I expected to see a bunch of jawas jump out and offer to sell the tour group some droids.

Counting down in the Apollo Saturn V Control Room.

President John F. Kennedy:  "We must be bold."

The business end of a Saturn V - five F-1 rocket engines, 7.5 million pounds of thrust.

And the complicated plumbing required to control those engines.

The looming first stage of the Saturn V.

Mars Explorer Barbie.  I'm reasonably certain that pink spacesuit is going to clash horribly with
the surface of Mars.

Atlantis:  33 missions, 4848 Earth orbits.

Every heatproof tile on the Atlantis is numbered to indicate its position.

The red-hot ramp to the Re-entry section of the Atlantis exhibit.

Shout out to the Canadarm!!

EVA - Extra Vehicular Activity. 

The elite: the Astronauts' Hall of Fame.

  - Sid