Community-youth, Space, Youth

Exploring the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida

07 Sep 2024
Text by Jarell Lim, SUTD Aviation Interest Group

While most people have watched rocket launches from the comfort of their homes through a digital screen, nothing can match the experience of witnessing the raw power and wonder of a liftoff up close at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Merritt Island, Florida. During my visit, I explored the space centre’s historical launch sites and exhibitions, and was also fortunate enough to witness a thrilling SpaceX rocket launch up close in person on the very same day!

The KSC is one of NASA’s ten field centres and has been the primary launch site for American space missions since 1968, including the Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs. Adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, KSC manages robotic and commercial crew missions, researches off-Earth resource utilisation, and has transitioned into a multi-user spaceport since 2010. Encompassing 144,000 acres, the center houses about 700 facilities, including the renowned Vehicle Assembly Building and a Visitor Complex that is open to the public.

Driving over the bridge to Merritt Island offers a breathtaking sight of lush greenery, distant launch sites, and the massive Vehicle Assembly Building. Due to safety reasons, residential areas cannot be built too close to the launch sites, hence, more than half of Merritt Island is being designated as a nature reserve for wildlife to roam freely. As you venture further into the island, you’ll arrive at the entrance to the visitor complex, marking the start of our space exploration adventure!

The KSC visitor complex is huge and filled with numerous exhibitions. These include the Heroes and Legends exhibit detailing past astronauts, the Rocket Garden showcasing different rockets that were used for different space missions in the past, an IMAX theatre screening space movies, and the Atlantis Space Shuttle Museum, among others. However, since I had a bus tour to catch, I only managed to visit the Rocket Garden and the Deep Space Launch Complex exhibit. It was amazing seeing the sheer scale of the rockets up close, yet that was only a teaser for what’s to come

After exploring the front exhibitions, I boarded the bus tour heading into the heart of Merritt Island, the home to all of NASA’s operations buildings, missions control centres and space launch sites. The bus first brought us to the giant Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), where rockets have been assembled since 1966 for the Apollo/Saturn V missions.

One of the largest buildings in the world by area, the VAB spans across eight acres and stands at 525 feet tall and 518 feet wide. It displays the largest American flag in the world, measuring 209 feet high and 110 feet wide. To put that into perspective, the blue canton of the flag is as large as an NBA basketball court, and the entire building is equivalent to three and a half Empire State Buildings by volume. However, you will really need to see it in person to truly appreciate its sheer scale and size.

Next, the bus tour brought us to visit two of the space launch sites across Merritt Island, one of which was preparing the SpaceX rocket for launch. We first went to the historical Launch Complex 39B which was designed to handle launches of the Saturn V rocket back in the 1960s. The Saturn V rocket, the largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever flown, was used to propel the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon during the Apollo Space Program. Pictures truly do not capture the immense height of the rocket! Thereafter, we got as close as we could to the active Launch Complex 39A, where the SpaceX rocket was being fueled for its upcoming launch.

As the launch time approached, we were taken by bus to the Apollo/Saturn V Centre which offered the closest view of the rocket launch in Florida and provided insights into the historic Apollo Space Program. The centre housed one of three of the remaining Saturn V rockets, which was so long that it spanned the entire centre lengthwise. I also went through the Apollo exhibitions detailing the Apollo astronauts’ journey to the moon. The exhibition featured old spacesuits, rocks from the moon, the moon rover, as well as the same spacecraft that the astronauts used to return to Earth.

Finally, it came to the highlight of the day, the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch! We waited patiently just outside the Saturn V Centre at the bleachers, also known as the Banana Creek Viewing Area. The map shows just how far we were from the launch site.

Initially, I was worried about how loud it could be or whether the rocket might explode in mid-air since it was my first ever space launch. However, all those fears subsided the moment the rocket launched. Initially, there was a silent but bright flash when the rocket boosters ignited, along with white smoke dispersing from the bottom of the rocket. As the rocket ascended, the previous silence was shattered by the rumblings and vibrations around us near our seats. The deafening roar of the mighty engines miles away filled the air as the rocket shot through the atmosphere. Within moments of ignition, the rocket disappeared into the blue sky, leaving behind nothing but a trail of smoke. It was truly a sight to behold.

After the launch, it was time to return home and battle through crowds to catch the bus back to the visitor complex. Being a Singaporean and a space enthusiast, experiencing a rocket launch in person at a place like this is truly a dream come true. I am grateful for this extraordinary opportunity on the other side of the world and l do hope to visit again in the near future!