So first Froggy got to see the Shuttle fly overhead and then she got to see it up close and personal as it was delivered to its new home.
We went with Aunt Petal and her cousin, E who is even more space obsessed that Froggy.
They got to touch and sign a shuttle wheel. It gave them a good perspective on the size of the craft.
We watched as Discovery rolled forward to meet Enterprise escorted by its entire crew.
Froggy and E. were right up front at the fence line and got a great view of the the shuttle and crew as they passed in front. You can get a hint in this picture of the wear and tear Discovery shows.
And then the two shuttles were nose to nose. It was a great moment. When looking at the two together it was easy to see who had been sitting in a hanger for several years and who had just come back from completing 39 missions.
Wouldn't they make cute astronauts?
We then went inside and got to talk to some people from NASA and see spacesuits up close and learn about the Orion project
And they got to drive a shuttle landing simulation. It was a great simulation with a NASA person walking them through each step including launching the parachute that slows the shuttle down after touch down.
OMG, I would have LOVED to have this opportunity with my kids. I saw many pics of fly-by's on people's blogs, but this is just such a fantastic experience. I was a crazy shuttle geek in my day... saw the Challenger live on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral (and bought a t-shirt!) two weeks before it blew up. Not as much of a geek as my friends in the Science Club, I guess, who were watching the launch live when it happened. :-(
ReplyDeleteSo jealous...