IT IS rocket science!

Huntsville, Alabama
US Space & Rocket Center Campground
Back In #4

Bill had a terrible night as his welts that had dissipated were back and worse than before.  Off to the nearest urgent care at 8 am and  this one was more professional than the experience in Mount Airy.  The doctor took one look and said he has chiggers. He gave Bill a prescription and off to Walmart we went.  Walmart didn't have the medication but called all the other local stores to see if they had it.  The pharmacist said she'd call one drug store because if anyone had it,they would have it.  She called and they had one bottle left.  $140 later we had the medication and returned home to apply it.  Bill said he still felt like doing the Space and Rocket Center so since it was still early we drove over.  

They had a museum price, 3D movie and a bus tour.  They had two seats left on the bus tour so we paid for the bus tour and musuem.  There was no way you could do all three in one day.  

Bill and I had an experience of a lifetime when we were in Russia a few years ago.  We had the opportunity to visit Star City which was the NASA of Russia.  The local people never even knew it existed right outside of Moscow.  During that visit we met and talked with an astronaut, Yuri and I forgot his last name but it wasn't Gagarin, who was in the space station and walked on space.  

Maybe because of that experience we really wanted to visit the Space and Rocket Center.  They open at 9 am and I suggest anyone who hasn't been to plan to be there when they open as you will need the entire day as they close at 5 pm.  

We took many photos and there is no way these will do justice to the place.   The size of the place is overwhelming.  There is so much information and things to see that I'll just post a few of the couple of hundred photos and tell you, you must see it on your own.  

This is the Space Camp housing where students young and old stay.  Space Camp appears to be challenging and exciting and is available for kids and also adults.

In order to take the bus tour onto Redstone Arsenal you had to be a US citizen and show identification to purchase the ticket, then before you boarded the bus, you had to show it again and then once more at the gate to the base.

Our tour guide was excellent and he knew so many facts and figures about every aspect.  The bus driver, I think actually knew more.  She said she visited space camp as an adult and married the instructor.  

Between the tour guide and the bus driver, they knew the stories of the astronauts and shared many interesting stories.  

The Redstone Test Site was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1976.  The Explorer and Mercury were tested at this site.

Redstone Arsenal is on 38,000 acres.  We made three different stops while on the base and visited three separate facilities.  

A small jar of water ends up costings $48,000 to send into space so they worked out a system where they can recapture urine and sweat.  They talked about waste and we were told that socks, underwear and t-shirts were the number one on the list.  

The toilet--and you had to be perfect in the spot where you sat.

One interesting figure was that the US pays seventy million dollars to Russia to send an American to the space station.

We left just before closing and we were exhausted.  It was so interesting and well done but I'm sure at one point I was on overload.  

There were some traveling exhibits that we didn't even get to in one section.  If you go, they do have eating places but we were so fascinated with everything, we didn't even stop to eat.  

We came home and our neighbor Bob just got a 2013 used Mountaineer on Saturday and didn't know how to operate anything.  He has a nice two bedroom, two bath floor plan and they are beginning full timing.  Bill and I helped him out and then we visited for awhile.  

It's was a short night and a very long day.  All I can say, is you have to experience this place.  No words or photos could come anywhere near experiencing it first hand. 

Turtle Safely.......