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Borrego Springs, CA

Friday, February 18, 2011

The early bird catches the worm

Early this morning, fellow volunteers, Fonda and Denny, and I headed out for the Mississippi/Louisiana border.  We were on a mission to take the tour of the NASA run Stennis Space Center.  The tour of this NASA Space Center is free, but you have to sign up at the Mississippi Welcome Center located at mile post 2 as you enter Mississippi from Louisiana. 

57 MS Sandhill Crane NWR8The first half hour of the tour is done by bus, and takes you down the roads of the huge NASA facility.  We arrived in time for the first tour, so we were the only ones on it!  I dislike big crowds, so I was thrilled!  This facility is where all the space rocket engines are tested.  Five small towns were eliminated when this facility was built back in the 60’s.  There is also a 120,000 acre buffer zone around the space center since the testing of these rocket engines are unbelievably loud, and have the force of an earthquake.  When the rocket engines are tested, the sound can be heard as far away as Mobile, Alabama, and Baton Rogue, Louisiana.  

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After the bus tour, you are dropped off at the Stennis Space Center Visitor’s Center and Museum to spend as much time there as you wish.  This building is chock full of many exhibits about the US space program.

_MG_9115Two of the walls inside had exhibits from the American Needlepoint Guild.

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The Guild provides a needlepoint representation of each manned space flight.  It was very impressive.

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Then comes the interactive exhibits (my favorites!).  I guess I do have to report that I crashed the space shuttle two times in a row!  Guess I wasn’t cut out to be a pilot.  :(

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I’m not sure how the three of us would have done as astronauts on the moon!  This is where the early bird caught the worm.  We were the first visitors of the day to enter the museum, and were able to experience all the hands on activities before the hordes of school kids and big bus tours arrived.  My advice to any visitors would be to arrive early enough to be on the first tour.  Otherwise, you’d be hard pressed to get a chance to enjoy the hands on activities.

IMG_9137I especially enjoyed the ThermaCAM.  It detects body heat.  That’s me taking a picture of my heat read out.  I always knew I was a hot chick!  :)) 

 

What a great excursion we had today!  I’d recommend this tour if you’re anywhere near the Louisiana/Mississippi border on I-10.  One of the most interesting things I learned was how astronauts go to the bathroom in space.  You are strapped down onto the toilet, and your wastes are vacuumed away!  Can’t imagine what that would feel like.  :)

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

21 comments:

  1. Better than to have them get away and float about!

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  2. I agree with Merikay. Looks like a lot fun education. I am sure I would have crashed too.

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  3. You have been doing some interesting things since you got to Mississippi. Dave and I would enjoy the tour that you went on this morning. I'm glad that school kids get to experience these things, but we always run the other way when a busload of kids arrives.

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  4. what a fabulous tour!..you are now the 'hot chick bird lady of blogland'!

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  5. Great tour ... I'm with you on the crowds, so we'd probably be there as the doors open.

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  6. Sure know what you mean by the crowds & that alone sometimes keeps us from going places. I would probably enjoy that tour if I was there early enough & did it like you did. First school bus in the parking lot & I would be the first car out of the parking lot!!

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  7. Ditto on your post comments and commenters' comments! At the all too obvious risk of repeating myself, I shall leave now! Have fun "Hot Chick Bird Lady"!

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  8. Who knew there was a Space Center in Mississippi?!
    And I know we must have driven right past it last
    April! Darn, now I wished we had taken a tour!

    Loved the pics and the "hot chick" pic!

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  9. We have given thought to that tour, but never made it..Now I know we just gotta do it!!....Thermal Hot Mama!!! I just knew it!!!

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  10. Sounds like a great tour! And yes, the early bird does get the worm. Friends slept in the other day, went to Mexico late and ended up spending over a hour in line to get back across the border. We went early and were in and out of Mexico in 30 minutes.

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  11. Definitely an addition to our must do list. What a great tour.

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  12. Next time we head that way we will try to check out the space center, but we too will go early to avoid the crowds. Awesome post.

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  13. That looks like a place to put on our list of must see's. Looks like you guys had a great toru. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  14. What a great tour. Another one to add to the bucket list. What has the weather there been like this time of the year?

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  15. Glad you practiced crashing the Space Shuttle and not your MH! Looks like another place to add to our list of things to see. Thanks!

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  16. that sounds like a great tour! BUT, here I was thinking you were "giving" the country so much... you just might be in the deficit column now after crashing the space shuttle twice!!!

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  17. You look pretty darn good sitting in the pilots seat. Very interesting.

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  18. That thermal image shows that you are a very cerebral person :)

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  19. I always wondered what happened to "wastes" on a space mission. Thanks for clearing that one up. I'll say you looked really good in the cockpit.

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