Moon Rock

Hidden within the superstructure on Pad 39A is the STS 132 stack.
The 160 m tall Vehicle Assembly Building seen from the Saturn Building.
I touch the Moon - or rather, a piece of it collected by the Apollo 17 astronauts.

I drove out to the Visitor Complex, took the public tour back to KSC and by 11:10 am I was at the public observation gantry to check on progress at the Atlas 5 and Shuttle pads. I then continued to the Saturn 5 Building, arriving at 11:45 am.

There I once again touched the moon rock that had been collected by Apollo 17 crew members. I now had the dubious honour of not only having touched this piece of the moon; I had also shaken the hand that picked it up. I had recorded three of Jack Schmitt's speeches during his visit to Melbourne some years ago.

Other things to see in the Saturn 5 Building are Jim Lovell's Apollo 13 spacesuit, the Apollo era astrovan, Gene Cernan's training spacesuit, the Apollo 14 command module Kittyhawk and one of the Mercury seven astronauts' Corvette sports cars.

The flags at the Saturn 5 Building and at the KSC press Site were flying at half mast, and I had to ask many people before I was able to find the reason why. It was in memory of the victims of the Oklahoma bombing, in which a government building had been destroyed.

Early-afternoon I returned to the main part of the Visitors complex, where I took in the IMAX movie "Magnificent Desolation", which I had seen many times in Melbourne.

Lunar touchstone, one of only a few anywhere in the world.

The Apollo 14 command module.

The main hall of the Saturn Building, showing the Apollo Command Module and part of the Saturn 5 rocket. Flag at the Saturn Building commemorates the victims of the Oaklahoma bombing.

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The main hall of the Saturn Building, showing the Apollo Command Module and part of the Saturn 5 rocket.	Flag at the Saturn Building commemorates the victims of the Oaklahoma bombing.