Astronaut Hall of Fame

If you were in Cleveland, you could visit the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
Hebrews chapter 11 contains what some call the Hall of Faith, a list of people who "by faith..." did all kinds of things.
Where I did my undergrad studies, St. Petersburg, Florida, there is the Shuffleboard Hall of Fame. I thought my grandfather could make it into that. I think he did go pro.

But here on the Space Coast is a different Hall of Fame. Today, I took the family to the Astronaut Hall of Fame (which, interesting, is adjacent to the American Police Hall of Fame and air conditioned shooting range). There is so much to see and there are so many interactive exhibits that one could spend the whole day there. It is kind of the Kennedy Space Center to allow a ticket that is purchased to be used at both facilities, the Visitor Center or the Hall of Fame, and permit a second visit on another day as long as it is within 7 days. I'm glad we got the annual pass, Commander Club. There is still much that I want to do, and we've used the 10% discount on various things.

When you pass through the turnstile, there is a waiting room with an inspiring video playing. Also there is an original Jules Verne's book, Journey to the Moon, that is in a case. Quotes are displayed overhead. One by Christa McAliffe, the teacher who was aboard the Challenger disaster in 1986, said, "space is for everybody. It's not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That's our new frontier out there, and it's everybody's business to know about space."

We had lunch on some picnic tables and then went to the Visitor Center. There were some exhibits that we still had not been to. Our 8 and 6 year old got to ride the Shuttle Launch Experience again. For my wife and the older girls this was their first time. Joseph is just shy of 48" so he was not allowed to ride the simulator. I'm grateful he got to ride the simulator at the Hall of Fame (4 times). I kept our sleeping baby in the stroller and Joseph, Rebekah, and I explored a gift shop. The family loved the ride and are making plans to do it again.