6. Space Center Houston

Day Six: Saturday morning found us back on the same I-10 that runs out of Los Angeles. Most of the Texas highway racers were still sleeping when we hit the road from San Antonio to Houston.

I made a reservation the night before for a tour of the NASA space museum. The reservation paid off when we skipped the lines that snaked around in a maze of rows to get on the tour bus.

One of the first stops was at the Mission Control building where we admired displays then sat in a balcony overlooking the actual Mission Control for all the Apollo missions:

As we continued the tour, our bus passed wildlife and longhorn cattle on the way to view towering rocket ships and the space shuttle:

Back at the museum we walked by the immense rocket on its side...

 

...and viewed all the Apollo Missions. My favorites are #11, the first landing on the moon, and #13, the one featured in the Apollo 13 movie.

 

 

 

After viewing the movie, Orion, about the future mission to Mars...

 

 

 ...we toured the museum, a labyrinth of exhibits about past and future space exploration.

 

 

 

 

A few hours later we were overloaded with data. It would take days to see and appreciate it all. We were ready to take off in a pair of T-38s for some immediate rest and a quick trip to a church for a weekend Mass.

 

 

Settling for our Prius instead of the jets, we used our GPS to find a nearby church. Providentially, the Mass started at 5:00 pm just as we walked in the side door. An elderly priest who seemed to have had a stroke but gave his all for preaching and saying the Mass was a wonderful inspiration. The church architecture was a testimony to the generosity and good taste of the parishioners.

 

 

Next: Day Seven: Houston to New Orleans

 

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