Archaeologists Take Over Kennedy Space Center!
 |
| Entrance to KAS |
Far too long ago, two archaeologists made a pit stop to the Kennedy Space Center. Most archaeologists enjoy museums more than the average Joe, so when more than one makes the visit, there is always a great discussion.
 |
| Archaeologists are nerds for history. |
But, for two archaeologists, one of the main things we were hoping to see were the material culture from space travel! I might have had some preconceived ideas about what a Space museum would be like, moon rocks, parts of shuttles, early flight suits, memorabilia from the 1969 moon landing, but what I didn't expect was all of the games, screens, and well, rides.
We spent most of our time in the Heros and Legends exhibit, because to be honest, it was what we were looking for. We were also on a time crunch! This exhibit provided us with the history of space travel, and some material culture to tease us with.
Because of our time constraints we were on the look out for a way to look at the material culture, but not have to sit through IMAX videos, or simulations. We were informed that we would sneak in through the exit of the Shuttle: A Ship Like No Other. This allowed us to see what we came to see; the stuff.
Behind all the bells and whistles of the Kennedy Space Center (which are amazing, just not my cup of tea!) I was just so impressed to by how impressive these shuttles are. I seriously still cannot believe the size, and technology it takes to travel to space. It is something that I might not ever grasp. Through our quick tour, all I realized is that this is an all day affair. We weren't able to go on the bus tour of the grounds, and I think that would have provided me with more of the tangible experiences I wanted.
There has to be something special about someone who chooses to literally shoot for the moon. The astronauts, the engineers, the mathematicians, and the fabricators, all have to believe that their project can make it to space. A place where maybe two or three people in the room have actually been, it just amazes me.
The Kennedy Space Center did have what we archaeologists like! Tucked away in the Nature and Technology exhibit building, was a small history of Cape Canaveral covering everything from the Native American settlements, to the orange industry. Although, I failed at this point in taking photos of artifacts that I see quite frequently, I was impressed by some of the material culture they had to represent the development of Cape Canaveral, specifically this dress!
I have read on some tourism blogs that the Nature and Technology section can be skipped, but if you are looking for that old school museum experience, just artifacts speaking for themselves, rather than the IMAX experiences and simulators, this is it. Plus, it took maybe 15 minutes and is in the AC!
Overall, KAS is something that every Floridian should do. It really shows us how amazing our one section of coast is, and with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 only a few short weeks away, it seems even more significant!