Kawasaki Concours Forum

Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: Conrad on November 16, 2019, 06:38:03 AM

Title: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on November 16, 2019, 06:38:03 AM
On the way back from the lovely beaches of Destin, FL we stopped at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center campground in Huntsville, AL for two nights. The campground is right next to the museum and we wanted to tour it.

https://rocketcenter.com/

We did and WOW, That place is awesome!!! Standing next to the Saturn V was incredible. Holy **** that thing is HUGE.

We did the planetarium tour as well. Most excellent and their 8k projector was gorgeous.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: VirginiaJim on November 16, 2019, 06:56:37 AM
I saw one at Cape Kennedy, although it was horizontal and not sticking straight up....easy boys.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on November 16, 2019, 07:09:52 AM
I saw one at Cape Kennedy, although it was horizontal and not sticking straight up....easy boys.

They have two there. One is outside, fully erect, and 'sticking straight up'... easy boys, easy now.

The other is horizontal and inside. The stages for this one are separated but all lined up.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: B.D.F. on November 16, 2019, 07:21:43 AM
Absolutely- for all the belief that the space shuttle was or is the newer, 'better' thing, no successful rocket has ever produced the sheer power of a Saturn V with those five F1 Rocketdyne engines. And yep, they are truly impressive. I walked under one (Apollo 14 maybe?) as a kid before it was used :-)  They would launch a 6 million pound rocket using 7 1/2 million pounds of thrust. The Soviets did produce a rocket theoretically capable of 14 million pounds of thrust, and it did do so but only until they failed; always in spectacular fashion and none ever reached orbit or even close to it. So the Saturn V remains alone in both thrust production (regardless of what you may have seen on the Internet: Easy Boys!) and mass lifted.

I also remember being quite impressed with the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and the crawler that moved a complete Saturn V from the VAB to launchpad 39 as well. All huge, powerful and very sophisticated stuff.

That whole era has proven to be a left- handed disappointment to me in many ways; in the late '60's it seemed we (humans) were on the brink of doing almost anything and we on the edge of many truly amazing points of progress. For example, I remember really thinking that we would have cured cancer w/in the next decade or two, be making all kinds of electro- mechanical things to replace limbs, eyes, etc., etc. The Apollo program was an extreme reach for the technology but unfortunately I do not think that most people, and I know I did not, understand that it was really the very edge of our abilities, took an extreme, coordinated effort focused on that one thing and really only barely worked instead of being something we 'conquered'. Don't get me wrong- it was a great program and experience, I just think it left a lot of us with the delusion that we were actually more advanced and technically able then we really were, and even remain today.

On the way back from the lovely beaches of Destin, FL we stopped at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center campground in Huntsville, AL for two nights. The campground is right next to the museum and we wanted to tour it.

https://rocketcenter.com/

We did and WOW, That place is awesome!!! Standing next to the Saturn V was incredible. Holy **** that thing is HUGE.

We did the planetarium tour as well. Most excellent and their 8k projector was gorgeous.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on November 16, 2019, 07:47:02 AM
Snapped a pic with the cell. Dunno why the pic insists on posting sideways, I tried to fix it but no matter what I do it refuses to cooperate.

(http://www.zggtr.org/MGalleryItem.php?id=856)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: B.D.F. on November 16, 2019, 08:48:52 AM
Well do not feel too bad, even some extremely talented people like Von Braun had trouble keeping rockets pointing 'up' too.

 :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Not to imply that you are not talented in your own right, just making a small 'funny' about 'rocket trouble' (Easy Boys! not that kinda' rocket trouble.....)

Brian

Snapped a pic with the cell. Dunno why the pic insists on posting sideways, I tried to fix it but no matter what I do it refuses to cooperate.

(http://www.zggtr.org/MGalleryItem.php?id=856)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: BruceR on November 16, 2019, 09:14:21 AM
Very cool place.  I've taken many family members on the tour there.  They used to have a theater that simulated you being in the escape pod of the Saturn V.  That was really cool.  I haven't been there in ages.

BTW- they used to have a side tour that would take you to Marshall Spaceflight Center- NASA area that is used a lot in prototyping modules for the international space station.  Hey also have a zero bouyancy tank where they practice spacewalks and repairs in zero g.  All cool stuff.
Morton Thykol is in Huntsville area too.  They produced the orings that failed on the Challenger.  Big sigh of relief when the shuttles flew again.  Whole lot of high tech stuff down in that area. 
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Nosmo on November 17, 2019, 12:24:20 AM
Snapped a pic with the cell. Dunno why the pic insists on posting sideways, I tried to fix it but no matter what I do it refuses to cooperate.

(http://www.zggtr.org/MGalleryItem.php?id=856)

Well, it's a government project, so........
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on November 17, 2019, 05:22:08 AM
Well do not feel too bad, even some extremely talented people like Von Braun had trouble keeping rockets pointing 'up' too.

 :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Not to imply that you are not talented in your own right, just making a small 'funny' about 'rocket trouble' (Easy Boys! not that kinda' rocket trouble.....)

Brian

 :)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Cholla on December 04, 2019, 10:43:45 AM
Planning on going this spring. My son lives close to it.
Go Trash Pandas!
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: VirginiaJim on December 04, 2019, 02:16:54 PM
 :thumbs:
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: just gone on December 05, 2019, 08:15:58 AM
Snapped a pic with the cell. Dunno why the pic insists on posting sideways, I tried to fix it but no matter what I do it refuses to cooperate.

Sometimes it really does take a Rocket Scientist. ;)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-qb8s5GT/0/4f921e22/XL/i-qb8s5GT-XL.jpg) 





Normally I'd let that just sit there, unfortunately Brian's reading this thread and he is too aware of some of my less than "stellar" ideas.
So I'll just ask a somewhat unrelated question: What is that flag behind the Saturn, and why is it at half staff (who died just before your visit)?
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: just gone on December 05, 2019, 08:19:24 AM
Never mind, I see now it's the Alabama Flag.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on December 06, 2019, 06:13:58 AM
Sometimes it really does take a Rocket Scientist. ;)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-qb8s5GT/0/4f921e22/XL/i-qb8s5GT-XL.jpg) 





Normally I'd let that just sit there, unfortunately Brian's reading this thread and he is too aware of some of my less than "stellar" ideas.
So I'll just ask a somewhat unrelated question: What is that flag behind the Saturn, and why is it at half staff (who died just before your visit)?

Thanks Marty!

"What is that flag behind the Saturn, and why is it at half staff (who died just before your visit)?"

You got it, the state flag of Alabama. As for why the flag was at half mast and who died? I think that it was our system of federal government...   :'(
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: gPink on December 06, 2019, 02:21:48 PM
C, leave it to you to find a political angle in a random picture. You ought to give it a rest.  :rotflmao:
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on December 07, 2019, 07:39:34 AM
C, leave it to you to find a political angle in a random picture. You ought to give it a rest.  :rotflmao:

So, I should follow your example?    ;)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: gPink on December 07, 2019, 09:29:59 AM
So, I should follow your example?    ;)

You'd be better off for it.  8)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: VirginiaJim on December 07, 2019, 06:49:52 PM
Need I remind you two of where you are posting?  It's close to Christmas, just have something to drink and mellow out.  It works wonders for me.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on December 08, 2019, 06:47:47 AM
Need I remind you two of where you are posting?  It's close to Christmas, just have something to drink and mellow out.  It works wonders for me.

 :chugbeer:
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: VirginiaJim on December 08, 2019, 06:53:17 AM
For some reason my smiley's aren't working.  Stupid Chrome.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: maxtog on December 08, 2019, 07:32:53 AM
For some reason my smiley's aren't working.  Stupid Chrome.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?redirect_source=getfirefox-com (https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?redirect_source=getfirefox-com)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on December 08, 2019, 08:40:54 AM
Sometimes it really does take a Rocket Scientist. ;)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-qb8s5GT/0/4f921e22/XL/i-qb8s5GT-XL.jpg) 





Normally I'd let that just sit there, unfortunately Brian's reading this thread and he is too aware of some of my less than "stellar" ideas.
So I'll just ask a somewhat unrelated question: What is that flag behind the Saturn, and why is it at half staff (who died just before your visit)?

What did you have to do in order to get that thing to stick straight up that way (easy boys, easy now)? 
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: just gone on December 08, 2019, 03:53:33 PM
I down loaded it, spun it 90 degrees (using whatever the default stuff Windows 10 uses for displaying photos) and rehosted it in my smugmug account. Today I tried up loading it here into a ZG/GTR Fanatics gallery fully expecting it to be turned sideways by the gallery software.....but no..
..maybe I just have the magic touch (don't get any ideas boyz!) to make a big rocket stay upright.  ???

(http://www.zggtr.org/MGalleryItem.php?id=858)

I suspect (especially if you took that photo with a phone) that something was stripped off of the photos metadata when I turned it 90 degrees, but what it was
and how do you find it, I have no idea. Sorry Mr. C.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on December 09, 2019, 05:43:42 AM
You have the touch Marty! I'm going to stop right there...   ;)

I tried the rotating reposting thing myself when I saw the horizontal posting of that pic, it didn't work. I'll admit that I didn't spend too much time on it though.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: just gone on December 09, 2019, 08:58:46 AM
I'll admit that I didn't spend too much time on it though.

Well guy, at our age, it takes a little more work to get it upright.....  ::)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Conrad on December 10, 2019, 06:06:54 AM
Well guy, at our age, it takes a little more work to get it upright.....  ::)

Speak for yourself.   :o     ;)
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Nosmo on December 14, 2019, 12:06:22 AM
Another great place is the Cosmosphere Space Museum in Hutchinson, Kansas.  Apollo 13 is there along with a lot of other cool stuff.  At the time they also had an SR-71 hanging from the ceiling in the main lobby, that's an eyefull.

https://cosmo.org/exhibitions/hall-of-space
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Cholla on December 17, 2019, 05:32:56 PM
Dad grew up in Hutch. Didn't know they had a SR there. A couple close friends worked on those.
Title: Re: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Post by: Nosmo on December 17, 2019, 08:03:10 PM
Dad grew up in Hutch. Didn't know they had a SR there. A couple close friends worked on those.

You can take a virtual tour on their website.  Click on their main page, click on Cosmosphere, click Virtual Tour, click Galleries, click Lobby. This page shows the SR71 in the lobby, although it isn't a very good pic.

http://cosmospheretour.com/exhibit.php?exhibit_no=1 (http://cosmospheretour.com/exhibit.php?exhibit_no=1)