June 29, 2015

Day #25

     On Sunday, June 28, 2015, at 10:21 am, an unmanned cargo ship launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.  The ship was headed for the International Space Station, and was carrying 4,000 pounds of experiments, a replacement spacesuit, a camera to record meteors streaking into Earth’s atmosphere and the first of two docking adapters that would serve as parking spots for future crew capsules being developed by Boeing and SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies).

     Two minutes into the launch, the cargo ship disintegrated, scattering debris into the Atlantic Ocean.  This was the third ship launch to fail to get the supplies to the ISS.  It’s reported the 3 astronauts in the Space Station have enough supplies to last until October. 

Lovell, Glenn, Shepard
at Kennedy Space Center

The launch pad in the distance where
an unmanned cargo ship disintegrated
2 minutes after launch

     This month (July, 2015) 3 new astronauts are scheduled to join the other 3 at the station, and, at this time, it doesn’t appear this failure will delay that mission.

Brody and Drew
Inside a capsule



Atlantis completed 33 missions from October 3, 1985 thru July 8, 2011.

 

     We arrived at the Cape the next day.  Business and everyones' lives were going on as usual.  I’m ashamed to say that I live so close and have not visited the Kennedy Space center in many years.  It certain has changed and reminds me of Disney World on a small level.  You buy your tickets for the tour and attractions you are interested in.  You wait in line (not near as long as at Disney).  The presentations were excellent and the boys (even Richard didn’t fall asleep during the 3D movie about our space journey) were interested in the productions and information.  They loved the place where they were treated to a liftoff simulation.

      It was a long day, but nice, peaceful rains came and went and cooled everything off.

Charlie Brown, Schroder, Linus
and Snoopy at the Kennedy
Space Center

Tired fellows ready to leave the
space technology overload and
hit the pool

     When we got back to the campground, I took the boys to the pool so papa could take a much needed nap.  There were three teenagers in the pool (1 boy and 2 girls).  I could not believe the topic of their conversation (which girls had sex with whom)and the language it was in.  They couldn’t have been more than 14 or 15 years old.  I can tolerate a slip once in a while, but had Richard been there, he would have yanked that boy out by his ponytail and shook his braces out of his mouth.

      I let the first time slide by, but the second outburst of the F word and a loud announcement of what part of his anatomy one of the girls had kicked him in, I stood up.  He crawled out of the water and slowly made it to his feet and slowly made his way to the restroom.  He had to go right by me.  I glared at the young man and dared him to ask me what I was looking at.  However, he made a wide path around me and kept glancing at me to see if I was going to make a move.  He knew exactly why I was staring a hole through him, and I had the feeling he thought it was better to just keep going.  

     He went into the bathroom and didn’t come out until they locked up the pool.  I don’t know if he was scared of me, or if he’d truly been hurt.  As a mother and grandmother, I did wonder about the last part, but I was too disgusted by his behavior to go into the restroom and inquire.  :-)
     As some of you already know, we made it back to Jacksonville earlier today (June 30, 2015).  We were welcomed by a typical heavy-duty thunderstorm.  After the rain stopped, we packed up the boys, and took them back to the waiting arms of their parents.  The boys were glad to be home.  Lacking 2 days of being 4 weeks away from home is a long time for little ones, but I have to tell you, they had a great time.  None of them cried to come home, but were glad when it was time.  They really are good kids, and they made the whole trip really enjoyable.
     I want to thank all of you who have followed along with us and commented and "liked" the posts.  In the four weeks I've been posting, I had almost 2,000 page views.  That makes it well worth the work it takes to do a blog.  Thank you.
Until next time,
Dolores