February 4, 2009

Johnson Space Center... finally!




I finally get to go to Nasa's Johnson space center! Imagine. I actually was too excited to sleep the night before.
I love everything about astronomy, space, the cosmos, rockets!



MISSION CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where they controlled the Apollo and Skylab missions. Coolness. I was in awe.



Standing next to the Saturn V rocket!
The Saturn V carried all the Apollo lunar missions and this rocket is made up of 3 stages all meant to be launched.

 

It was huge... check out the five F1 engines and intricate mechanisms.





Going around the compound.



SVMF - Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. Like how we train for different types of aircraft, astronauts have their own training facilities too.

Except that theirs is about 273 times more complicated.



I secretly oogle the astronauts. I have a crush on them... there's just something about being the best of the best, carrying the hopes and dreams of mankind with you, risking your life and pushing the boundaries of all that we know, to make a small little footprint in the infinite universe.

I am filled with the deepest respect for them.



I left with all sorts of souvenirs for myself and my father since he's a bit of a space freak too.
Then more shopping until every inch of space was utilised in my luggage.

Since they conduct random bag checks in the US without us knowing, i had to leave a note inside mine:
Dear officer, please put everything back in the exact same place, else bag cannot close. Thanks! Lol!

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And it was back to Moscow again.
Except that in the space of a few days, the temperature dipped suddenly to -19 degrees celsius.
Your hands and ears would hurt almost immediately.
Your face would turn numb and be surrounded by a cloud of your own breath each time you exhaled.
I saw my colleague's lips crack and bleed ha.
It was the worst winter I ever encountered in my life.

More pics will come soon... I braved the cold with a couple of the boys cos we were curious.
Luckily curiosity didn't kill us. Hehe.
I'm nowhere near home yet.
hello Dubai - 22 degrees!



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