Trunki Goes Galactic?

No, no, towgo isn't going to space....yet! I've just been thinking a lot lately about the whole commercial space tourism industry. My friends and I have been going back and forth as of late as to what's going to happen to NASA once the shuttles are retired in 2010. I think, in order for NASA to survive, there needs to be a partial commercialization of the space industry. This, of course, means space tourism! Virgin Galactic is already signing people up for suborbital flights and NASA is already banking on there being some kind of commercial space industry in place by the time it's ready to resume lunar missions in 2020.

So...what does this mean for us?! It's a new frontier. One that's horribly, and unimaginably expensive right now, but one that I hope is within the reach of all of us someday. If I had been better at math and science I totally would have tried to become an astronaut. For now, I'll have to survive being a lounge chair shuttle commander drooling over NASA's budget release detailing all their programs. Oh yes, and being a GIANT dork.

We're back!

Whew, Disney does take it out of you which is why I didnt post after that first day. Every day after that we were up early and back late and I just didnt have posting in me. So where did I leave off? Ahh yes, dork paradise!

There's few things in this world that make me literally squeal with girlish glee. One of them is Hostess Sno-Balls. Another is anything with star in the title. Ever since I saw haley's comet growing up...oh and that movie classic Space Camp...I've loved space and astronomy. So, for me, Kennedy Space Center was AWESOME. When we finally got to where I could see the launch pads from the road I clapped my hands and in a high pitched voice went "oh! Oh! There they are!!!!" The Center is a bit on the pricey side but TOTALLY worth it for the space enthusiast. There's an actual orbiter that you can walk through, a gallery of Hubble images, chances to meet and speak with real astronauts, a shuttle launch simulator, and, of course, the launch pads. The picture above is me about a mile away from Launch Pad A complete with Endeavour and its solid and liquid rocket boosters. I was in absolute heaven. The Apollo/Saturn V center at the end of the tour was awesome. They had a full on Saturn V rocket suspended from the ceiling that was also broken out into it's stages. Maya took this awesome picture of me in front of it.


You can't really tell but Im actually slightly crazy eyed in this photo. I thought she was just taking a goofy photo. I had no idea she had me perfectly lined up under the engine cones. Awesome. Later I'll fill everyone in on the rest of Disney!

Me and Mr. Mouse

Well the countdown has begun to our big vacation in Orlando. If you've been reading this blog for a while you may know of my disdain for the mouse. I know, I know, my daughter loves it so that should be enough. I just can't get past the $25 mouse ears and $10 hot dogs. OK, maybe the hot dogs aren't that much but the mouse ears are!

I have to admit, though, Epcot looks pretty cool. I mean really who doesn't love seeing a mariachi band and then walking a few minutes to chomp down on Chinese food. It looks like they've also got a lot of cool stuff about energy and natural resources conservation which we're trying to teach Maya about. She already gets onto me when I leave the faucet on because I once told her about how there are people in other countries that don't have access to clean water. "Mommy, your wasting water for the people in Egypt!" Oh dear!

I'm definitely looking forward to dorking out at the Kennedy Space Center. There's a tour you can take there that lets you go out to the Saturn launch pads. I gets the shakes just thinking about it! Oh yes and the lunch with an astronaut, and seeing the Titan missles, ooh and maybe we can catch a glimpse of Atlantis! OK I'm way too excited now.

Oh yes and there's always the being lazy at the resort. MMM lazy. I so rarely get to be lazy just like all the other moms out there. There is no lazy time when you're a mom. Something ALWAYS needs to be done. Hmmmm I feel a spa treatment coming on. I'll get the cucumber slices.

We Have A Launch!

SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, Josh has convinced me to go down to Florida in November to do Disney...again. I'm not sure why, but I just haven't been looking forward to the trip. Maybe it's because we just went to Disneyland not that long ago but, for Maya's sake, I'm willing to suck it up and go. Anyway, Josh was looking around at other places to go while we are there and said "You know, I've always wanted to go to Kennedy Space Center. I wonder how far away it is." Whu...what? Did you just say Kennedy Space Center? As in THE Kennedy Space Center? As in the place I've wanted to go to since I was like 6 and saw the movie Space Camp? My nerd heart skipped several beats! I love, love, love space stuff. Anything to do with space. NASA, space shuttles, the International Space Station, deep space satellites, space telescopes, any show with the word "star" in it. You get the drift.

As it turns out, Kennedy is only about an hour from Orlando. Awesome. Oh and for $60 you can have dinner with an actual astronaut. Even more awesome! Oh and Discovery is set to launch while we're there. SOMEONE GET THE SMELLING SALTS CUZ I'M GONNA PASS OUT!!!!!!!! Now given NASA's track record on launches it will probably be delayed but still, even if I could see it on the launch pad...I just don't even have words. If we get to be there to see the launch I think I will actually squeal with delight. That would be even more awesome than the World Cup and that's sayin something!

I'm not so sure Maya will like it. I think I'm going to have to work on her a bit. When I told her about it she thought we were going to get in the space ship and go see aliens. I tried to explain that we would just be watching astronauts go up and that they wouldn't be seeing any aliens but she still didn't like the idea. I don't know what I would do if she were too scared to watch it. With the shuttle program being phased out in just 2 years I don't think we'd ever have another chance to see one launch. Quick, someone tell me how to make her think aliens are cool!