06/06/15 - Next in the KSC tour: close up to the VAB, 39-A white room, Saturn V, and some more Atlantis!

This is a mockup of the launch escape system for the Orion capsule

Topaz was impressed with the size of the VAB

I've been here before but it's always so great to be back

This is the actual gantry and white room from launchpad 39-A! Hundreds of astronauts walked across this before launching

The gantry has seen better days

What used to connect here?

The white room!

This is an alarmingly enormous bug

This is the part of the white room that would go up against the shuttle hatch

I guess they just leave this mockup lying around

I couldn't not pose with the white room

Topaz too!

This is where the magic happens

I believe it's one big SRB that vents through four exhaust nozzles

A lot of really cool things have happened in that building on and on this gantry

This is that funny little armored vehicle the astronauts would use if they had to escape a dangerous situation on the pad. Mostly I think they just had fun driving it around in training

Big doors on the VAB

Looking down the gantry at the white room doors

Ssshhh, it's a secret!

One of the OPFs, orbiter processing facilities. I believe this one is now being used for commercial space flight companies.

NASA gave a bunch of blank shuttle models to artists to paint and you could find several around KSC

The other mobile launch platform, this time without the crawler. It makes it easier to see them as distinct structures.

Ah yes, back at the Saturn V

We came in through the back door but I had Topaz look at the ground until we got to the back so he could have the same "holy crap" experience as everyone else

Raw power

It's really difficult to capture the scale properly in a photo

Looking into the old astrovan

Topaz checking out the Saturn V

Got to keep those engines in place..

So much work went into the cooling channels built into the engine bell

I challenged Topaz to lift a tread of the crawler.. without slipping a disc

The back of the second stage. J-2 engines!

An authentic lunar module! It's a tragedy it's here and not on the moon but it's pretty cool to see

The back of the third stage only has one engine

Looking back at the top of the tanks for the second stage

Lunar rover!

One of Gene Cernan's space suits! I believe this was for training

The Apollo 14 command module Kitty Hawk. This is the actual vehicle!

Jim Lovell's actual flight suit from Apollo 13

Alan Shepard's space suit. I believe this is actually the one he wore on the moon.

It's so incredible seeing the actual artifacts in person

A page of mission rules that flew to the moon on Apollo 17

A checklist from Apollo 10

I'm not sure what this notebook is from

Topaz was super excited to touch a piece of the moon

I was super excited to get out of this weird corner

Back to the main visitor complex!

This simulator stunk

Well hello again!

Looking up at the foreward section of Atlantis from the ground

The critical RCC panels on the leading edge of the wing

I love zooming in to this shot.. you can see how the parts of the wing fit together so they could move

Atlantis' left wingtip

Hey, there's the bridge I watched both my launches from!