March 15, 2019
I'm in the area for races at Daytona Beach, but it's not far south to visit the Kennedy Space Center.
Florida
I'd no idea that the Space Center is such a huge attraction. It might not be Disney World, but it has to be on the list of top places to see in Florida.
There's a vast parking lot ($10) south of the center. This is not a government facility (meaning it's not part of NASA); it is a separate entity, much the same as the Johnson Space Center in Texas. Expect to pay around $50 to enter.
There's a good assortment of historic rockets on display, but you won't learn much about them by reading the signs.
This is the facility for standing in line for the bus tours. This was an error on my part; I hadn't counted on seeing such vast lines (expect 1.5 hour wait from this point) and I didn't plan things well. Consequently, I didn't get on the bus and therefore missed out on much more.
There are several eating places, but you'll be waiting in a long line at any of them.
The sold-fuel boosters and the liquid fuel tank for the shuttle main engines. The shuttle Atlantis is inside this building and its display is quite impressive. The shuttle mock-up that was once here has been sent to Houston--they've got the real thing, now.
You enter the shuttle display by first passing through a couple of movie theaters (expect more lines). At the end of the last one, the wall opens to reveal Atlantis.
The amazing thermal tiles and blankets on the shuttle.
There are displays of the Mercury /Gemini program, but first you'll be sent through more film presentations (and more lines).
The mission control technology might be old, but it's clear that what they have was cutting-edge for the time, and is still impressively efficient.
You can select from a series of presentations in the auditorium given throughout the day. This one was on the upcoming Webb telescope, which will launch in a few years.
Last words.
There is quite a bit to see and (due to my lack of planning) I did not see anywhere near all of it. Go early, and get in the bus line immediately would be my advice.
For a museum of technology, it seems that the overriding instruction for creating the displays was to keep any detailed discussion of technical things to a minimum. That's frustrating. I understand the balance required to cover a wide audience, but they've chosen to push the scale all the way to one side. You'll be impressed by the hardware, but you won't learn much about it.
On the other hand, the guides that were in the Atlantis building were quite knowledgeable, and I was able to ask all sort of questions that they were happy to answer and to discuss.
It's noteworthy that the website describes their exhibit and museum buildings as "attractions." I came to learn; I didn't come to be entertained. Even so, the history that's here is real, and what they have to show cannot be seen any place else.