KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: EXPLORE SPACE AND BEYOND

At EdTerra, I have had the good fortune of making numerous visits to USA. I have been mentoring the US East Coast Space Adventure journeys for over 5 years now, and each time I find myself back at Kennedy Space Center (the core focus of our US East Coast journeys), I find myself getting goose bumps!

ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN ABOUT SPACE!

Learning is an on-going process, and every student travel group that I have accompanied to Kennedy Space Center has taught me something new; I have gotten the opportunity to explore a new area, a new facet, a new discovery that NASA has made. While the glory and story behind the Apollo Missions leave you awestruck, the new developments of Mission Mars, be rest assured, there is always something new to learn at Kennedy Space Center!

A GARDEN OF ROCKETS

Ever walked through a garden filled with rockets? That’s right…rockets, and real rockets at that, except one that is a replica (try telling the real ones from the replica!). I have always marvelled at this unique garden speckled with rockets dating back to the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo programs! Imagine how cool that is. If you are lucky, you will be able to catch a short tour by the NASA educators, who tell you all about the rockets in the garden.

THE UP, CLOSE ‘EXPLORERS’ BUS TOUR

Imagine yourself driving past the very launch pad that sent human beings to the moon! That’s exactly what this bus tour is all about…getting you up, close and personal with the most exclusive areas of NASA, including the Launch Control Center from where manned and unmanned rockets and shuttle launches have been given the go-ahead to ‘Go for Launch’ and ‘lift-off’ into space; the very sites from where rockets and shuttles are launched into space from the Launchpads 39 A and B (the same space from which Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins first left Planet Earth for the moon); the mighty Apollo and Saturn V Centre which is home to the mightiest rocket ever created by mankind – the Saturn V, and which tells you all about the very exciting ‘Space Race’, a race that commenced between Soviet Union and the USA some 65 years ago! And that’s not all…with you is a very knowledgeable NASA guide who shares exciting facts about NASA’s past, present and future. And this kind of information you’d get only at one place and that is Kennedy Space Center.

PUT ON YOUR 3D GLASSES & LAUNCH YOURSELF INTO SPACE

The finest 3D IMAX movies shot with actual space footage that makes you feel like you are a part of the space mission! The space movies on show at Kennedy Space Center are the most exhilarating movies you will ever get to watch. Actual missions, real astronauts, real lift-offs, real crisis…all the action and drama you could imagine, right before you on a massive screen that comes to life with your 3D glasses. And to top it all, you have the best in Hollywood (heard of Leonardo Dicaprio, or perhaps Tom Cruise?) narrating the stories on screen. That’s a double bonus for sure!

I NEED MY SPACE…to shop!

A visit to the NASA Space Shop, the world’s largest space souvenir shop, is right here at Kennedy Space Center. So some souvenir shopping is always a must. A book on astronomy, a cool space suit, some cool shades, if you’re hungry then space ice cream bars, space pens to write with in zero gravity, key chains, mugs, fridge magnets, NASA space badges, caps, t-shirts…ahh the list is endless!

SO MUCH MORE TO DISCOVER…ON YOUR EDTERRA EDVENTURE TO KENNEDY SPACE CENTER!

These are just a few of the areas that keep me excited about each visit to Kennedy Space Center, but there is so much more. Be it the Atlantis Space Shuttle, getting to know all about the shuttle program, lunching with an astronaut where I have heard the most inspirational tales of hard work, dedication, sheer perseverance and grit…there is just so much going on, so much to learn, to be motivated and inspired by, at Kennedy Space Center – a visit that takes you to space, and beyond!

EdTerra Edventures is India’s leading student travel company and organises truly educational journeys to NASA’S Kennedy Space Center in our truly educational program USA EAST COAST SPACE ADVENTURE, and other parts of the world! If you are a student below 18 years of age and would like to travel to USA and experience all of this and more, contact us and make this dream a reality!

Schools can get in touch with us by calling our helpline number: +91-11-48885800 or  filling up the program query form here.

Christine Massey: Fifteen countries and counting! Nothing comes in the way of Christine exploring a new geography. A PADI certified scuba diver, she finds peace in the magical  world underneath the oceans. Cooking (and eating), reading, animals, gardening, in that order. She is a program developer, blogger and journey mentor with EdTerra.