posted 06-30-2001 12:27 PM               

How was Florida? Did you manage to visit the KSC?

posted 07-02-2001 02:28 AM               

Sounds like you had a great time. Sorry for not remembering that I've already wished you luck at KSC - memory like a sieve.

I've just discovered that we will miss a shuttle launch by two days!!!

posted 07-02-2001 05:16 AM               

Had a decent day on Saturday. Up at 7.00 am then drove down to the opening of The National Space centre in Leicester. Probably not that exciting for our US friends but for us in the UK its quite a big thing really.

First of all, the building is outstanding. With a tower to one side that is made of a PVC type stuff that is quilted with pressurised air inside. Each panel cost £15,000. Inside it are two rockets, not terribly big but were originally built for military use, basically I think they were missiles. Pretty good.

As you walk in there is a suspended Soyuz capsule above you that looks pretty worn out. This immediately made me think it had been in space but it was in fact made at the same time as the flown one and just not used. The panel next to it said it had been in an outside display in Georgia for 30 years.

Inside the building there is lots to see and do and the interior design is excellent, even down to the toilets that look pretty space age. Lots of interactive exhibits, computers and touch screen things that are pretty swish. Some of the exhibits are not actually finished yet but given time I think it will be excellent.

There is Helen Sharmans chair that launched her into space. A few big suits that made my day (Im very keen on EVA suits) that looked russian but there was no labelling. Also, there was a full size walk in mock up of one of the sections in the ISS. Couldn't resist the photo.

The dome screen show was pretty good too, lots of buttons on the arms (not functional yet) and the film was narrated by Richard Attenborough. Personally, I preferred the film I saw recently at the IMAX Printworks in Manchester 'Destination Space' or something, that was AWESOME! You actually felt like you were there on the shuttle looking down at the earth. It would have been better to have something like that I think.

Of course to set the day off on a good footing, you cant get any better than bumping into a shuttle astronaut. I just caught Jeff Hoffman before he zipped off and asked him to sign my book (and a dollar bill I had). I was very pleased. He wasn't very chatty but polite and agreed to sign my stuff. Decent chap.

So there you have it, hope I've not bored you all with my space tale.

Oh yeah, nearly forgot. There was a CND demonstration outside to stop George Bush and the 'Star Wars program' from going ahead. They were basically saying that it was non progressive exercise and is knocking us back 15 years.

I have to say, as much as I love the Exploration of space and the prospect of a possible mars Landing in the distant future. I dont feel there is any need to restart any Space Based Military programme.

Whats the point? Who's the threat? And what decade is he living in?

This combined with tearing up that Ecological treaty that took years to set up makes me worry about his state of mind.

My 2 pence worth anyway

Bye

Stevie