Saturn V at Kennedy Space Center
Fly Me to the Moon
A Saturn V rocket is on display at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as seen during our 2019 Florida Summer Vacation.
Laura and I had not been to Kennedy Space Center since 2004. Jaylin had not been there at all. So with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first moon landing rapidly approaching, we figured it was the perfect time to visit.
One of the highlights to me was the Apollo/Saturn V Center, which included an actual Saturn V rocket on display, just like the rockets that took men to the moon. There is a similar display at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, that we have also visited. These rockets were built for some of the later moon missions that were canceled and never happened, so this Saturn V is the real deal.
It is amazingly impressive to see it in person. Having the Saturn V displayed horizontally lets you get a closer look at all of the stages, unlike if it were displayed vertically.
Those moon missions may have been from 50 years ago, but they are still quite cool.
History and Importance
You may not know this, but one of my favorite historical subjects is the Apollo Space Program. I love learning about all the technological accomplishments that were made in the relatively short time between President Kennedy’s challenge in 1962 and the first moon landing in 1969.
It is amazing to me that they were able to accomplish all of this with the technology that was available at the time. As an engineer, I am impressed with the engineering side of things. Much of what they came up with would be pretty amazing today. But it is even more amazing knowing that all of this was done in the days of slide rules.
It definitely does show that people can do so many things if they just set their minds to it. Seriously. After all, we sent people to the moon. That is almost a quarter of a million miles. One way. It makes me wonder what else we might be able to do if we set our minds to it and really work toward a solution.
Sometimes I think to myself that I won’t ever be able to do anything great like that. But as great as going to the moon was, who can say our lives aren’t meaningful if we do not do something comparable to that?
Everything we do is important, whether it is going to the moon or raising our children. God put each of us here for a purpose. And whatever that purpose is, we should work at it with all our might. Because it is important to someone. And to God.
Bible Verse
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24
About the Photo
This is one of those occasions where a wide angle lens would have come in handy. But the lens on my Sony camera is only 28mm, so I got as much of the rocket in the frame as I could. But I also wanted to get the much larger-than-life replicas of the crew patches in the frame as well, so I sacrificed just a little of the rocket for that.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Luminar. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
_Lens: _ Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
Date: June 13, 2019
Location: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
