Kennedy Space Center

 April 19,2016

Kennedy Space Center Entrance

So far so good.  We left Sands Harbor Marina on the 17th as planned and have had no further engine trouble.  We arrived in Cocoa Village planning to stay a couple of days in order to visit the Kennedy Space Center.  If you have never visited the KSC you should consider adding a visit to your bucket list!  Well worth the visit. The space shuttles were put together in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) - NASA likes acronyms!  

Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)

  And then transported to one of two launchpads on a "crawler".  They were driven on this laser guided vehicle down the "crawlerway".  To support the weight of the shuttles the "crawlerway" has two 40 foot wide lanes with a 50 foot median.  It consists of a 7 foot deep bed of stones beneath a layer of asphalt and then topped with a 4 inch thick layer of Tennessee river rock.  The Tennessee rock was chosen because it is "spark resistant".  An important consideration!! 

Crawler with the launch platform on top

It takes a team of almost 30 engineers, technicians and drivers to operate the crawler.  It weighs 6,000,000 pounds (and that is without the weight of the launch platform and shuttle).  Dang that is alot of weight!!  But the most interesting fact was that it was a gal right out of engineering school who came up with the idea for the crawler - first job!  Not too shabby!

The Crawlerway

The shuttle program of course came to a close - but a new chapter has opened with SpaceX winning the bid to launch rockets from the Kennedy Space Center.  

SpaceX building near the crawlerway

 

The Launchpad - up a slight incline

Return capsule

Rocket Garden

NASA has an amazing history of accomplishment. 

 

Great day!  Again well worth the visit - you would not be disappointed.

Serendipity

Saturday - April 16, 2016

Yes this is a single family home on the Florida ICW - not a hotel!

 

Now that we were on the ICW (intracoastal waterway) we thought our engine troubles would be behind us.  We were blaming our engine trouble on our small Raycor fuel filters.  The thinking was that the filters were getting clogged due to their small size and all the jostling on the Atlantic.  Now that we were on calmer water we thought our troubles would subside.  Needless to say we were both surprised and dismayed when Saturday brought another day of engine failure.  Only now in addition to idling back and stopping - the engine was reluctant to start back up at all.  After the fourth time the engine died we decided that we needed to get to the nearest marina and find a mechanic.  The ICW has many bascule bridges which have set opening times.  If you do not make it to the bridge on time you have to wait till the next opening time.  Well we did not make the opening of our fifth bascule bridge that day because the engine had died.  But on the other side of the Atlantic Blvd Bridge was the Sands Harbor Marina.  We managed to get the engine restarted several times while we waited for the next opening (30 minutes) and once on the other side of the bridge we headed to the marina.

 

Bascule Bridge

Once we were tied up at the dock we headed to the marina office to pay the bill.  As we were in the office a fellow came in and said he had tied up to their fuel dock as he was having some engine trouble on his sailboat and was waiting for the mechanic to arrive.  Well how about that!!  Serendipity?  Needless to say we wasted no time in striking up a conversation with him regarding our troubles and need of a mechanic (which we had no hope of finding on a Saturday).  We asked if maybe his mechanic would have time to swing by our boat as well.  He agreed to check in to it and we decided to go and try to find some fuel hose - thinking maybe that could be a problem as well.  Lo and behold as we were ready to call a taxi this fellow comes over and loans us his car.  Dang - what good luck!  And when we go to get his car we run into the mechanic in the parking lot.  He agrees to come by our boat before leaving the marina.  After awhile in town trying to find some fuel hose and larger Raycor filters we realize that neither the mechanic or the fellow who owns the car have our phone number so we decide to skip one more store and head on back to the marina.  Good decision as we again meet the mechanic in the parking lot only now he is preparing to leave.  He agrees to come on by and check out our engine and in five minutes he has solved the problem.  It was a simple little valve on the auxiliary fuel pump that was turned the wrong way.  Right place, right time?  What are the chances of all those perfectly timed meetings happening right at the time needed?  

Bascule Bridge opening - we are going thru

Another small Florida home on the ICW

 We headed off to dinner and hoped that our troubles were truly now over.  Tomorrow would be another day motoring down the Florida ICW.  

One of the "little" boats on the Florida ICW - probably live in one of the "little houses"

Oops!  One of the many sunk boats along the waterway

Boats at anchor along the ICW

We have lots of company traveling down the ICW