I vividly remember the day when the first man walked on the moon. July 20, 1969. It was one of those days that you don't easily forget. We were glued to the TV. All three channels aired the story. Yes, all three channels, you heard me right. We didn't get Channel 18, the VHF channel, so not sure if it was playing there.
Fast forward 40 years to 2009. I had lived in Florida for nearly 10 years. I don't know what I was thinking. Kennedy Space Center was less than 2.5 hours away from Tampa. What I vowed to forget 40 years ago, was clearly long forgotten.
When someone would remind me that a shuttle was launching and that we should go out on our dock and see if we could see it, I would make a mental note to look at the schedule for upcoming launches and then, invariably, I would forget.
What changed? I was fortunate in 2009 that my consulting firm was hired by Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to assist in the development of their sales and marketing plan for 2010. I visited the complex in preparation for that work and I have to tell you that I had no idea what was about to happen to me.
A love affair that began 40 years ago had now deepened and it had more than just memories to keep it alive. I walked through the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and saw the Rocket Garden, the Hubble photos, the iMAX movie of the International Space Station, the Astronaut Encounter where I met Jon McBride - a real live astronaut! I was hooked.
I walked in as a casual observer of our space program and walked out in love with space.
In July, my family and I made the trek to KSCVC to see the launch of STS-127, Endeavor. Not once, not twice, but 7 times. Actually I was out of town for #6, but the family was there. It was worth the wait. The launch was incredible. We were fortunate to have VIP seating so that we saw the unobstructed view of the launch.
Just last week, I went back to see STS-129, Atlantis in its next to the last launch. Today, Atlantis landed safely at Kennedy Space Center, on a picture perfect day.
I hope that you take the time to visit Kennedy Space Center. It is definitely a "bucket list" item, even if you don't consider yourself a lover of space. Let me know how you feel when you leave the park!
Chicke Fitzgerald
lover of space
