Space Shuttle Endeavour – California Science Centre

I arrived back in Los Angeles yesterday for the first time since September 2012 and just had to head back out to the California Science Centre to see the new and impressive addition to their air and space exhibits -  Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle OV-105). Endeavour was first launched in 1992 and completed her last space flight in May 2011.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Interestingly the shuttle sits on this huge metal stand which has been designed to protect Endeavour in the advent of an earthquake. The shuttle will move with the shaking of the earth to avoid damage that would occur if it was affixed to plinths or sitting on concrete.

The belly and nose of Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour Rocket Engines

A Space Shuttle rocket engine

Endeavour was delivered to Los Angeles by NASA on September 21st, 2012 on the back of a special Boeing 747 shuttle transporter. This shuttle delivery completed a career of 25 space missions by Endeavour for NASA, including delivering the first US component of the International Space Station.

Space Shuttle Endeavour over Ventura, California September 21st 2012 (source: NASA)

Unfortunately I missed Endeavour’s arrival last year by just a few days, and I also missed the spectacle of transporting a Space Shuttle by road from the airport to the museum. They show a great short film at the museum on the slow and meticulous process to deliver Endeavour safely through the streets of Los Angeles whilst barely missing trees, poles and houses!

Space Shuttle Endeavour transported through the streets of LA in 2012 (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Endeavour was one of 5 Space Shuttles to serve with NASA on operational space missions. The other operational shuttles were Challenger (OV-099) – first launched in 1983 and tragically the first shuttle lost in a disaster in 1986 with the loss of all onboard; Columbia (OV-102) – first launched in 1981 and tragically also lost with all her crew in 2003; Discovery (OV-103) – first launched in 1984 and retired from space missions in March 2011 and Atlantis (OV-104) the last operational shuttle, she was first launched in 1985 and completed her last space mission in July 2011.

Challenger lifts off just moments before disaster in 1986 (Source: MPI/Getty Images)

There actually are two other shuttles of sorts. One is Enterprise (OV-101) which was used to perform shuttle test flights in the atmosphere, with the first flight taking place in February 1977. Although it looks like the other shuttles, Enterprise was not capable of space flight as it was not fitted with heat shields or engines. At one stage NASA did consider refitting her for space flight but due to design changes in the operational Columbia shuttle it was deemed too expensive to refit and never went ahead. In 1985 Enterprise was retired and sent to the Smithsonian Aviation Museum in Washington D.C. and later transferred to their Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Virginia (today it is on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City after the Smithsonian received Discovery in 2012).

Space Shuttle Enterprise 2010

The other “shuttle” is the Space Shuttle Trainer (FFT – Full Fuselage Trainer) used by NASA for 30 years to train all shuttle crews. It was never a complete shuttle and was only used on the ground to train crews under simulation. Today the trainer resides in the Museum of Flight in Seattle where it was delivered in 2012.

Shuttle Trainer (Source: NASA)

I have seen a number of these shuttles over the years including Discovery, Atlantis, Enterprise and the trainer (in pieces). I first saw Discovery in 1998 on a tour of Cape Kennedy as it was awaiting launch a few days later (I never saw it get launched, but this mission eventually returned the then Senator John Glenn into space – he was the first American astronaut to be sent into orbit around Earth in 1962 aboard a Mercury spacecraft and this shuttle launch was only his second time into space). The only shuttle launch I ever saw was Atlantis at Cape Kennedy in 2010. That was an amazing experience – the noise and vibration in the air was incredible!

Space Shuttle Atlantis 2010

I saw Enterprise at the Smithsonian in Virginia in 2010 and the trainer components following their delivery to Seattle aboard NASA’s amazing looking transport aircraft the Super Guppy in 2012. The trainer is now complete and on display at the Museum of Flight (this is the only version of the shuttle that you can tour inside of).

Space Shuttle trainer nose component – Seattle 2012

Enterprise 2010

In addition to the NASA shuttles I have also been inside the Soviet Union’s version of the shuttle, Buran when it was on tour in Sydney, Australia in 2000 and I have also seen a test unit Buran in 2007 in Gorky Park, Moscow. The Buran program had only one unmanned space flight in 1988. The program was eventually cancelled due to cost and the fall of the Soviet Union.

Buran 1988 with a MiG-25PU chase plane

Buran test unit at Gorky Park, Moscow 2007

The size and scale of the shuttles are impressive. To see Endeavour up so close and to be able to walk around underneath it gives you a great insight into the construction and size of the shuttle. Especially seeing all the heat shield tiles that make up the underside of the fuselage and wings to protect the shuttle upon reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Endeavour Heat Shield Tiles

The science centre has provided some specifications  and important statistics for  Endeavour as follows:

• Inaugural launch date: May 7, 1992
• Total number of fliers: 173
• Total number of orbits: 4,671
• Total distance traveled: 197,761, 262 km / 122,883,151 miles
• Time in space: 299 days
• Orbiter length: 37.2 metres / 122 feet
• Orbiter height on runway: 17.4 metres / 57 feet
• Wingspan: 23.8 metres / 78 feet
• Manufacturer: Rockwell International Corporation in Palmdale, California

I thoroughly recommend a visit to the California Science Centre to see Endeavour. Entry into the museum is free and the only cost to see the shuttle is a $2 timed entry booking fee. Well worth it!

California Science Centre – From the Sea to the Skies

The California Science Centre is a great place to visit when in Los Angeles and admission is free (except for special exhibitions). You can see exhibits on scientific achievements from inventions to air and space technology); discover the world of life and how people, animals and plants survive; then delve into the ecosystems of the world. The latter is an absolute highlight as there is a large aquarium tanks teeming with sea life which make for an impressive sight. If your timing is right you can see scuba divers feeding the various fish right in front of you.

Sea life!

Heres looking at you

A great display

One hungry fish

Shark spotting…..literally!

Its a feeding frenzy!

This was a lot of fun to watch

Moray Eel

Desert Tortoise

Common Chuckwalla

The air and space exhibits hold some true treasures for the aviation buff including an unusual two-seat training version of the Lockheed A-12 Blackbird spy plane once used by the C.I.A. along with rocket capsules and space suits from the NASA space program. To see more on the aviation exhibits please take a look at my “Aces Flying High” blog.

Lockheed A-12 Blackbird trainer

Mercury-Redstone 2 capsule (1961)

Apollo 16 command module pilot spacesuit of Astronaut Thomas L. Mattingly (1972 – fifth manned landing on the Moon)

Since my visit in September 2012 they now have the Space Shuttle Endeavour on display too (Orbiter Vehicle 105). Endeavour was delivered by NASA on September 21st on the back of a special Boeing 747 shuttle transporter. The shuttle completed 25 space missions for NASA, including delivering the first US component of the International Space Station.  I unfortunately had to leave Los Angeles on the 17th and missed all the action! I will have to return to check her out someday.

Space Shuttle Endeavour over Ventura, California September 21st 2012 (source: NASA)

NASA’s Super Guppy

NASA’s Super Guppy arrived in Seattle today to deliver the nose component of the Space Shuttle trainer that will be displayed at the Museum of Flight.

The Super Guppy

City Icons: Seattle’s Space Needle

When I travel I always like to take a look at the landmarks that make a city instantly recognizable around the world. Some of the more famous ones that spring to mind include the Sydney Opera House (constructed 1959-1973) and Harbour Bridge (1928-1932), Berlins Brandenburg Gate (1788-1791), London’s Big Ben (the tower 1843-1858), the Eiffel Tower in Paris  (1887-1889 for the 1889 World’s Fair), the Leaning Tower of Pisa (built in 3 stages between 1173 and 1372!), Romes Colosseum (72-80AD), The Kremlin in Moscow (construction began in the 1320′s but was ongoing until 1851), Beijing’s Forbidden City (1406-1420)  and the list could go on! I think these types of places are more than a landmark, they are an icon of the city.

The United States has no shortage of such city icons including New York City’s Statue of Liberty (a gift from France constructed 1876-1886) and Empire State building (102 story building – constructed quickly 1930-1931!), the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles (originally an advertisement for the “Hollywoodland” housing development in 1923), San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge (1933-1937), The White House in Washington DC (1792-1800), the St. Louis Gateway Arch (1963-1965), Chicago’s Sears Tower (108 story building, now called the Willis Tower and also the tallest building in the US. 1971-1973) and here in Seattle the Space Needle (1961-1962).

WTC towers in flames & Empire State Building

I have been lucky enough to visit all of the places I have mentioned. They are icons that no matter how many times you walk past them, you just can’t stop yourself from taking  at least a quick glimpse and admire them.  Some you can only look at, others you can enter/climb/take an elevator to an observation deck, others like the Forbidden City you can explore for a whole day.

I was fortunate to be able to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty before 9/11 (climb access has been closed since then) and I also visited an icon that was lost on that sad day, The World Trade Center towers. The 110 story twin towers were constructed between 1968-1973, both were lost in the terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001. I will never forget watching the events unfolding on live TV, yet not being able to understand what was really happening, it was just so shocking and unexpected. A day that is etched into history forever for all the wrong reasons.

There is a curious little place at West Seattle’s Alki Beach where you can actually see two city icons from two completely different cities (well sort of)! Statue of Liberty Plaza has a 1/18 scale “Little Sister of Liberty” statue which was originally put in place in 1952 by the Sea Scout and Boy Scout Troops of Seattle, but recast and replaced in 2008 due to corrosion. Between 1948 to 1952 over 200 of these statues were placed in 39 states and 4 territories of America as a symbol of liberty and freedom. Since 9/11 this location has become a place for informal tribute to those lost on that day. If you look back towards Alki Beach and across Elliot Bay you have a view of both the statue and the Space Needle.

Alki Beach

One visit to a city icon that really sticks in my mind was at the St. Louis Gateway Arch in 2001, I spent a lot more time than planned there….the elevator temporarily broke down, so myself and a bunch of other tourists spent a couple of hours inside the top of the arch! I can tell you its a long way up (at 630 feet/192 metres the highest man-made monument in the US) and there is not much room up there, not the most ideal place to be stuck!

Gateway Arch construction

I first heard about Seattle and the Space Needle when I was a kid in Australia, but it wasnt through normal means such as a book or travel program, it was through an Elvis Presley movie: “It happened at the World’s Fair” (1963)! Apart from being the usual sing along story that most Elvis movies ended up as (except for the 1969 western Charro, where he does not sing on-screen), this movie also showcased the events and buildings of the 1962 World’s Fair held in Seattle (visited by nearly 10 million people). In making this movie Elvis also become somewhat of an attraction at the fair too!

The theme for the 1962 World’s Fair was Century 21, hence the then futuristic space age building designs including the flying saucer like appearance of the Space Needle with its observation deck and revolving restaurant (according to the Space Needle website the final coats of paint were dubbed “Astronaut White” for the legs, “Orbital Olive” for the core, “Re-entry Red” for the halo and “Galaxy Gold” for the sunburst and pagoda roof – shame it isn’t painted that way today) and the construction of the monorail “the future of public transport” (didn’t quite work out that way)!  Most of the major structures built  for the World’s Fair remain at the Seattle Center and are integral to city tourism and events. The Space Needle is central to this and is by far the most important icon in Seattle.

Apart from the Space Needle not all the buildings look that futuristic today in the 21st century (the Pacific Science Center springs to mind), so it is quite the retro walk back in time!  As I said earlier the Space Needle is one of those structures you just can’t help but look at and admire (I live right nearby and see it virtually ever day).

Science Pavillion 1962

Although the Space Needle is by no means anywhere near as tall as other towers in the world, it is still is quite a structure: 605 feet/184 metres tall (equivalent to a 60 story building), built to withstand 200 mph/322 kph winds and able to handle up to a 9.1 Richter scale earthquake (double the 1962 building code earthquake requirements). Over the years it has withstood several earthquakes including a 6.8 Richter scale in 2001. It was built for $4.5 million in 1962, but in 2000 a refurbishment cost $20 million (how times change)!

I haven’t been up to the top of the needle since 2009 (when I first visited Seattle and knew it was where I wanted to live when I moved to the US in 2011), but I can tell you that on a clear day the observation deck at 520 feet/158 metres provides spectacular 360 degree views of the city, Mount Ranier, The Cascade and Olympic mountains and the Puget Sound. Seattle and it’s surrounds are a beautiful place! Although the entry fee makes it a bit expensive to visit, the views and taking part in a part of local history is well worth it. You can check out current and past webcam views from the observation deck by clicking here.

The ”It happened at the World’s Fair“ movie trailer states “The Space Needle rocks and the monorail rolls” and almost 50 years later they still do! Next year is going to be a big 50th anniversary for this city icon. It will be fun to see what they come up with to celebrate the occasion! It will be time to go up there again I think!

Seattle Monorail 1962 vs 2011

UFO’s and Aliens: welcome to Roswell New Mexico!

November 3rd, 2011

Roswell a name that immediately brings to mind the ultimate conspiracy theory, the UFO Incident of 1947. Located in Eastern New Mexico up until that time it was probably mainly recognised for its nearby Walker Army Air Field (closed in 1967) and not much else other than ranch farming, but on July 4th, 1947 everything changed for Roswell.

On that date a UFO was alleged to have crashed on a ranch north of Roswell, strange metallic debris was discovered by ranch worker W.W. “Mack” Brazel, who notified the local sheriff, who in turn notified the Air Force. If it was not for “Mack” no one probably would have ever heard about the incident. He took the military to the site and over the next few days they searched the area and collected all the debris.

On July 8th, 1947 Colonel William Blanchard (commanding officer at Walker) authorised a press release stating that a “flying disk” had been recovered. Hours later his commanding officer General Roger Ramey issued another press release stating that a mistake had been made and the wreckage was actually from a weather balloon! They even displayed parts of a balloon and a battered radar reflector that was attached to the balloon. The cover-up had begun!

The Weather Balloon

Now over 60 years later no-one is any the wiser as to what happened out there, but in the years following the incident many alleged eye witnesses both civilian and military have said that the parts were swapped for the press conference (the UFO metal was said to be very light in weight), that 4 Aliens were recovered from the crash site (one still alive – it is said the base asked the local mortuary if they had small hermetically sealed coffins and also asked for information on preserving bodies!), that certain parts had strange symbols on them and that all the UFO parts and bodies were flown out of Roswell to various secret military locations for further study. “Mack” Brazel was apparently detained by Military Police for about 5 days after the press release to stop him discussing the matter further! This has become the stuff of legend in the world of Sci Fi and has been the subject of many books, movies and television programs. People can not get enough of such a story (or is it the truth???).

Alien Survivor?

Other explanations were offered by the military to counter the various eye-witness accounts including that the alien bodies were in fact special human like dummies used to test the effects of high altitude on a person’s body (they were parachuted back to earth from high-flying aircraft). The strange alien writing was countered with an explanation that a “Project Mogul” radar target panel had been part of the wreckage, this had sections held together by tape which had symbol patterns on it that were mistaken for writing! The debate may never end.

The Dummy

None the less based off my visit there Roswell businesses are making the most of it and sell all manner of alien souvenirs, there are alien statues and props outside shops and in their windows and the best of all there is the International UFO Museum and Research Centre which displays information on the Roswell UFO Incident, other UFO and Alien sightings, Alien like gods in ancient cultures, Sci Fi pop culture, photos, movies and various Alien props and models. Roswell also hosts a UFO Festival which falls on the anniversary of the incident each year, it looks like crazy good fun (may have to come back for that someday)!

UFO Museum

After a quick lunch at the KFC guarded by a green Alien statue at its front door, I headed north on US285 to try and find the general location of the alleged UFO crash. I had read there was a sign at the junction of CR39 (about 23 miles/27 kilometres out of town) to indicate the site, but at first I accidentally went past this road as it was obscured by some major road works. I doubled back and stopped on this road, but there was no sign, I could see where it had been, but it was totally gone! It’s just a sign but it would have been cool to see (it said something like “UFO crash site 8 miles west of here – No trespassing!”). Oh well, at least I got some idea of the terrain in which the incident was meant to have taken place.

UFO Crash Site – 8 Miles West From Here

Billy The Kid

From there I headed further north to the town of Fort Sumner to visit Old Fort Sumner a civil war era fort used to facilitate the internment of Navajo (9,500) and Mescalero Apache (500) Native Americans in a reservation known as Bosque Redondo (1863-1868). A terrible chapter in history where on one hand the government were fighting to end slavery, yet on the other hand were forcing these Native American tribes from their homelands onto reservations making them travel vast distances even from other states (much blood was spilt by the military in the process of forcing them onto this reservation). Eventually they were allowed to go to reservations in their homelands. Today the Bosque Redondo Memorial remembers the tragedy of these government actions, and also displays information around the former fort site (washed away in floods back in the early 1900′s).

The fort was also the site where William H. Bonney aka “Billy the Kid” the outlaw and gunman, who according to the old tales was responsible for the deaths of up to 21 men (possibly some liberty had been taken by him in the numbers he claimed, but it makes for a good legend), was gunned down coincidently at the age of 21 by sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881. His grave lies nearby (the real one, a replica is displayed in the Billy the Kid Museum in Fort Sumner) and interestingly the tombstone has had quite a history in itself. Stolen in 1950 it did not turn up again until 1976 in Texas, then it was stolen again in 1981, but was found a few days later in California! From then on a sturdy steel cage has been built around the grave!

Billy the Kid & Pals Grave

Quite a diverse day of history and intrigue, New Mexico really is a fascinating place! My next couple of days will be further north around Santa Fe and Albuquerque  exploring early Native American and Spanish life in this state and then the later atomic history that has dominated the world ever since.

The White Sands of New Mexico

Atomic science, white sands, missiles and space travel…..part one of my travels in New Mexico.

October 31st, 2011

My grandfather and I used to watch Bugs Bunny cartoons together when I was a kid. Bugs would always say “I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque” and I can finally say I actually did take a left turn there, before heading south in New Mexico!

I then continued south on the I-25 stopping on the way in the curiously named town of Truth and Consequences. It is a spa town that was once called Hot Springs but in 1950 changed it’s name to that of a radio show to win a contest for the show to be broadcast from the first town to change its name! It stuck and for years after the host of that show, Ralph Edwards would visit for some sort of festival in the town.

Strange highways

After 3 hours of driving I arrived in Las Cruces in the south of the state (second largest city in New Mexico) just before sunset, and got to see some spectacular colours on the nearby Organ Mountains (a rugged saw tooth like mountain range), then I grabbed some Chinese dinner at the Empire Buffet – this provided an unexpected eventful evening! Apart from the staff being very friendly and talkative, 2 young guys decided to do a runner without paying, cops came, got details from the waitress, then 20 minutes later had both the guys and made them pay! Nice free entertainment, just like a live episode of Cops!

Organ Mountains - Las Cruces

November 1st, 2011

30 minutes east of Las Cruces is the White Sands Missile Range a massive military complex where in the northern section the first nuclear detonation occurred at the Trinity site in 1945 and missiles and rockets have been tested there ever since. This is what they call an open base i.e. you can visit it, and on site there is a missile park and museum which has a vast array of the various missiles, rockets, drones, aircraft and vehicles that have been tested on the range (and a replica of “Fat Boy” one of  the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan to end WW2).

Missile Park

In one building they have a restored V-2 rocket, a German design used in WW2 that was used by the US after they captured over 200 rockets and  parts at the end of the war (this was quite interesting as they were found in an area the Soviets  were due to occupy, so the Americans transported the rockets out of there quick smart and shipped them home). To assist in the development of the rockets German  scientists such as the famous Wernher von Braun (designed numerous early US rockets leading to the mighty Saturn rockets that took man to the moon) who were initially captured by the allies at the end  of WW2 were transferred to the US in 1945.

V-2 Rocket

Within the range is also the incredible White Sands National Monument which is where the name of the area comes from. Gypsum sand that is perfectly white forms this part of the desert. The gypsum is washed down from the surrounding mountains, when the water evaporates the dried gypsum is then broken down by strong winds and blown across the area to form sand dunes. These rolling dunes are massive covering 275 square miles. The rolling white sand dunes are an impressive sight, especially the way the sun casts shadows upon them and a it’s a lot of fun climbing the dunes, running/sliding back down them! It is also fascinating what plant and wildlife lives amongst the dunes. To top it off whilst I was there the USAF was flying F-22 Raptor fighters overhead along with German Luftwaffe Tornado attack aircraft that are both based at the nearby Holloman Air Force Base. I tried to visit this to see their Heritage Air Park – which has a Stealth Fighter amongst other aircraft that were all once based there. Alas it’s not an open base, so unless you know someone who is based there you cannot enter. Oh well!

White Sands National Monument

I found it interesting that just before the entrance to the White Sands National Monument (from the missile range side) there was a checkpoint, not a military one, but one manned by Homeland Security. They ask you a series of questions to confirm who you are and what you are doing there, plus check your identity documentation (and vehicle where required). I gather this security is here because of the close proximity to the border of Mexico to check for “illegal aliens”, luckily for me I am a “legal alien” (such strange terminology they use here) and was allowed to pass through!

White Sands National Monument

My final port of call for the day was just a bit further east in Alamogordo and the New Mexico Museum of Space History. High up above the town, with a mountain backdrop this 4 story museum has an interesting collection of space artefacts and displays that cover New Mexico’s contribution to space travel and rocketry. Displays include a large chunk of moon rock, astronaut and cosmonaut space suits and the capsule that held HAM the first Chimpanzee launched into space, poor little fella, it must have been terrifying for him – luckily he survived and lived out his days in a zoo (his name was an acronym for Holloman Aerospace Medical Centre).

HAM capsule

Outside the museum is the space park which has numerous rockets including the Little Joe II rocket which tested the Apollo rocket Launch Escape System, missiles, the “Sonic Wind” rocket sled and the Daisy Track (an air-powered sled-track used to study the effects of acceleration and deceleration on the human body). The museum is also home to the International Space Hall of Fame.

Space Park - Little Joe II and "Sonic Wind"

Daisy Track

So that’s a wrap on my first couple of days in New Mexico. In the coming days I will be exploring the Carlsbad Caverns, visiting Roswell for a bit of kooky UFO entertainment, checking out old Fort Sumner, then heading north back to Albuquerque and maybe Santa Fe and Los Alamos.

What have Russian sailors, a sailing ship and the space race have in common?

August 10th, 2011

I was taking a walk through the Seattle Centre today when I was surprised to see three Russian sailors sightseeing in full navy uniform (very distinctive especially their caps)! Upon further investigation it turns out that the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries sailing training ship Pallada was in town. I had heard nothing about this and given that Fleet Week had just ended it sounded like an interesting diversion, so off I went down to the waterfront to check the ship out.

Pallada

Although Pallada looks like a classic sailing ship from years gone by, she is relatively new. Built in 1989 in the Gdansk (Poland) shipyards for the then USSR (communist era Soviet Union), she is the world’s fastest sailing ship achieving a speed of 18.8 knots.

The ship was open for tours so I went and had a look around. She is impressively maintained and all the ropes (extensive ropes!), masts and sails are kept orderly and in A1 condition. It is quite a large vessel aswell at almost 100 metres long with a crew of 51.

The Pallada has spent 22 years sailing at sea  and covered approximately 837,000km including two round the world voyages (1992 and 2007-2008). In 1997 the ship spent 311 days at sea! The ship is used to provide sailing training for navy cadets; and students and apprentices from Russian marine and fisheries colleges and universities.

Pallada

So why was Pallada suddenly in Seattle? The ship set sail on a goodwill tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man into space (orbited Earth on April 12th, 1961 aboard Vostok 1) and the 270th anniversary of Russian America exploration by Russian seafarers. Imperial Russia used to own Alaska, known then as Russian America, but sold it to the US in 1867 for $7.2 million (they also had small settlements in California and Hawaii).

The day I almost met Buzz Aldrin……

August 1st, 2011

Space Adventures

Today the Space Needle announced a Space Race 2012 competition with the grand prize to win a sub orbital space flight with a company called Space Adventures (valued at $110,000 USD)!  The contest is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Space Needle in April 2012. I of course immediately entered (you have to be a US resident to enter). There was an added bonus to this announcement though….

At 10am the press conference to announce the competition was held with 2 special guest speakers:

Buzz Aldrin 1969

Buzz Aldrin - former USAF pilot (66 missions flying an F-86 Sabre in the Korean War, shot down 2 Mig-15′s, was awarded a Distinguished Fly Cross and served in Europe during the cold war), Astronaut (as of 1963 – pilot on Gemini XII the last mission of that program), lunar module pilot on Apollo XI and the second man to step on the moon (after mission commander Neil Armstrong) on July 20th, 1969 (I have an original front page of Melbourne’s Herald newspaper of this event). Basically a genuine goddamn American hero!

Richard Garriott - a video games developer (he created the famous series of Ultima role-playing games) and entrepreneur who also became the first second generation American astronaut (his dad was an astronaut on the  Skylab space station and the Space Shuttle) in 2008, when he paid $35 Million USD (!) to train with the Russian Cosmonauts and be sent into space on a Soyuz rocket and spend about 10 days on the International Space Station. He has an interesting video discussing space flight on his website.

Buzz Aldrin today

I raced up there and pretty much “gate crashed” the press conference (stood right near the side of the stage)! I got to listen to Buzz speak of his thoughts on space travel (past, present and future) and his recollections of landing on the moon. For an aviation and space travel nerd such as myself this was awesome!

Eric Anderson the CEO of Space Adventures then discussed the company and the prize (you will go in their rocket to the outer edge of the atmosphere – blue of earth below, black of space above – this will apparently be higher than such flights with Virgin Galactic and other companies). He also mentioned that within 10 years time they plan to have a trip where you will do an orbit around the moon! So much has happened in our lifetime to date, I cannot wait to see what the future brings (if I don’t win this prize, I am sure one day it will be affordable to do a space flight)!

Richard Garriott then spoke of his experiences which was very interesting, he couldn’t follow his Dad’s footsteps with NASA due to poor eyesight, but things turned out ok! He is also an investor in Space Adventures, hence his appearance today.

Buzz Aldrin today

Buzz...so close...yet so far away!

One of the minders for the various speakers said there may be a chance to meet Buzz after the press had done their interviews. I waited around for this opportunity, but alas it was not to be. He has had some run in’s with moon landing deniers and conspiracy theorists that have made him wary of interaction with the public, including a famous incident with idiotic filmmaker Bart Sibrel in 2009 when Buzz punched him in the face, this guy basically stalked him saying a bunch of crap before the final punch, here is the video! GO BUZZ! He is now 81 years old by the way!

L-R: Eric Anderson CEO Space Adventures, Ron Sevart CEO Space Needle, Buzz Aldrin and Richard Garriott

Buzz did give myself and a few staff from the nearby Seattle Science Centre a wave and a smile though and I did get to meet Richard Garriott which was pretty cool and got some good photos of Buzz.  So once again the small minority of loonies and freaks cost the majority a once in a lifetime experience (our cause was not helped by this huge long haired guy that demanded to meet Buzz and give him a postcard! Once he arrived I knew we were doomed).

Mankind HAS sent space probes to the outer planets and beyond, rovers to Mars, and man to the Moon (6 times) - get over it! Why is this so hard for some people to believe? Go to the Kennedy Space Centre and all will unfold!

Drew Carey - Seafair Torchlight Parade

So in the past few days I have sat in Howard Hughes’s pilot’s seat in the “Spruce Goose“, met an astronaut, been waved to by Buzz Aldrin and also waved to by comedian and TV personality Drew Carey (he was Grand Marshal of the Seafair Torchlight Parade last saturday night, his car in the parade stopped right in front of me and he wouldn’t stop waving at me until I waved back, pretty funny)!

Interesting times…I love the Pacific North West!

Recap of my travels in the past year (2010)

The past year has gone by so fast, one moment I am leaving my Australian home and  job in May 2010 to travel the world, then before you know it I am living in Seattle, Washington USA!

Most of 2010 was such an adventure travelling through:

USA (May 2010)

Central and southern Florida- Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis (what an awesome experience, the rumbling of the powerful rockets was felt in the air long before we actually saw the shuttle taking off! Incredible!), the Everglades NP and Key West were highlights.

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Key West, Florida

Chantilly, Virginia  - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum annex – awesome aircraft collection with Axis rarities from WW2 such as the Arado AR-234, B-29 Enola Gay that dropped the first nuclear bomb on Japan – “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Space Shuttle, Concorde etc.

Arado 234

Washington DC – first return visit since 1998 – hit the Smithsonian museums and memorials hard!

Lincoln Memorial

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Edgar Allen Poes house and Rocky Balboa statue.

Liberty Bell

New York City, New York - collossus of a city – always great fun with so much to do, “Rock of Ages” on Broadway, New York Air Show – Jones Beach (Blue Angels on the beach with 250,000 people!).

Times Square NYC

EUROPE (June – August 2010)

Mostly taking advantage of the excellent and not so excellent train and bus services of northern, central and eastern Europe (further east the slower and less comfortable, but significantly cheaper they get!) I revisted some countries and also travelled through many in Eastern Europe that I had always wanted to explore (even if the use of English was mostly useless!):

Finland – Helsinki, Tampere & Turku – land of the midnight sun - a weird experience! Eating Moose and Reindeer….yum!

Helsinki at midnight!

Germany- Hamburg, Bremen – catch up with Cousin Donovan and family, Leipzig, Berlin – Berlin Air Show, Luftwaffe Museum & former Stasi secret police HQ. Nuremburg (experienced a 4-0 drubbing by Germany over the Aussies in the World Cup Soccer), Freiburg and the Black Forest (finally got to go for a walk in the black forest – after being inspired by the Goodies “Pirate Radio” as a kid!), Munich (first visit since 1994 – this time I remember the trip, back then I spent a little too much time in the beer halls!), Dachau concentration camp (“arbeit macht frei” – never had words been so misused), Fussen – Mad King Ludwigs fairytale Neuschwanstein castle – the inspiration for Disney’s castle, Berchtesgaden & Obersalzburg the Eagles Nest (incredible mountain scenery with a dark recent past – also the playground of Hitler and the Nazi leadership).

Brandenburg Gate – Berlin

Black Forest near Freiburg

Neuschwanstein castle, Fussen, Germany

The Eagles Nest – Obersalzburg

Switzerland – Bern – catch up with Esther, Zurich, Lucerne & Basel and Wil Schonwil for the Sonisphere heavy metal festival to see the “BIG 4″ Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax; and the mighty Motorhead (8 hours of rain, 16 hours of shin deep mud – hard going, but awesome fun – so tired I fell asleep standing up, narrowly avoiding falling face first in the mud)!

Aareschlut

Austria – Salzburg – birthplace of Mozart and the setting for the dreaded “Sound of Music”.

Salzburg

Romania - deep in Transylvania – Sibiu, Sighisaora – home of Vlad Tepes..Dracul!, Brasov, Bucharest – home of the mad Communist dictator Ceausescu and his massive Palace of the Parliament. Great close encounter with big brown bears on the outskirts of Brasov and interesting encounters with the local Gypsy population.

Bran Castle – Transylvania

Brown Bear – Brasov

Palace of Parliament – Bucharest

Bulgaria – Varna and the Black Sea (took a swim), Nessebar, Veliko Tarnovo and its amazing hillside setting, Plovdiv, Sofia & the famed Rila Monastery.

Veliko Tarnovo

Rila Monastery

Poland - Warsaw (Warsaw uprising museum a must) – an awesome city rebuilt from the ashes of WW2 (check out the Zapiecek perogi restaurant – awesome food and beautiful polish girls dressed in traditional clothing that has been raunched up! Imagine a folk version of Hooters!!!), Gdansk – solidarity movement started in the docks here, Ketrzyn and Hitlers Wolfs Lair, Mikolajki (lake kayaking), Gizycko, the little village of Bialowieza deep in the primal forests of the Bialowiezka NP where I stayed in an awesome cabin and finally Bialystok before heading to the Baltic states.

Old Town – Warsaw

Gdansk

Lithuania - Vilnius, Trakai – lake and castle, seaside Klaipeda and the beautiful Curonian Spit, Siauliai and the famed Hill Of Crosses – the Communists kept destroying it and the brave Lithuanians just kept rebuilding it.

Trakai Castle – Lithuania

Siaulliai – Hill of Crosses

Latvia - the mighty Riga – so much fun I didnt want to leave – perfect mix of east Europe and its Communist past – including nuclear fallout bunkers, and Turaida Castle near the town of Sigulda a great forest and castle setting.

Riga

Turaida Castle

Estonia – Tartu – historic university town, Narva on the border with Russia – 3 days of historic battle renactments around the  old Narva castle, Sillamae – once a Communist military town so secret it did not appear on maps!, Tallinn – incredible capital, Paldiski a semi deserted former Soviet military town, and the beautiful Lahemaa NP on the shores of the Baltic sea. The Baltic got me at the end of this trip – rather rough on the ferry ride back to Helsinki, Finland….ugh seasick.

Narva Castle

Battle of Narva

ASIA (August – September 2010 and October – December 2010)

Hong Kong – catch up with Uncle Rob & cousin Ryan. Great food!

Hong Kong

Taipei 101, Taiwan

Taiwan – a country of great hospitality, scenery, history and awesome food – even the “Stinky Tofu”! Tapei – catch up with Wei-Chiao and see the mighty Tapei 101 building, Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall – got to see the changing of the guard which was pretty cool, Yangmingshan  National Park where I had an awesome day hiking to the top of Qixing mountain, night market – ate some great food here – dumplings and various fried delights including ducks blood with rice!

The beautiful and mountainous east coast was a great highlight - Hulien, Toroko Gorge NP – with an illegal visit to the old typhoon damaged hot springs! Yuli – amazing mountain fields covered in yellow flowers, local foods in this area were delcious – restaurants specialise in one dish only such as oyster omlette and people queue up for ages to taste their wares!

The west coast is more populous and has a high speed train system (i.e. travels at over 200km/h). Tainan –  the former capital under the Qing dynasty during imperial times (Confucian and royal temples), Taichung City. Weather was crazy in Taiwan – so hot most of the time, then 3 typhoons hit – so much rain! Couldnt go to the southern city of Kaohsiung due the storms – basically shut down!). Also spent a day in Danshui – this place has been ruled over the years by the Spanish, British and Japanese so is an eclectic mix of buildings , old fort etc. Once again awesome street food here too.

Flower Fields near Yuli

Singapore – quick visit – Singapore Flyer ferris wheel, WW2 British command bunker, watching drunk men become acquainted with the lady boys down at the riverside….did they not notice the deep voices??? Maybe they like it?!

Singapore Flyer

Vietnam - extensive trip throughout Vietnam north to south over a couple of months – Hanoi – awesome city – hectic and crowded – Ho Chi Minh masoleum, temples and museums, the amazing Halong Bay for a 2 day cruise.

Halong Bay, North Vietnam

Then I detoured from the normal tourist trail and headed for Dien Bien Phu (north west Vietnam) - site of the French defeat in 1954 – bunkers, tunnels, trenches, old weaponry, General Giaps HQ in the mountains and also a visit to a local orphanage – poor little kids, was good to brighten there day with a visit from a crazy white guy (myself and another Australian bought all the bread from a local bakery and gave it to the orphanage kids. Mama San who owned the bakery was almost as happy as the kids)!

Dien Bien Phu

Then moved further south (cheap airfares for $30) to Danang – Marble Mountains & China Beach, Hoi An  (unannounced the government decided due to heavy rain to release the floodgates of a nearby hydroelectric dam…..flooded the whole town for a couple of days! We had to get around in row boats!), Hue – Purple Forbidden City – eating my dinner in a cafe, I thought a kitten ran in from outside under my table and across my feet…..screams from the waitress and a quick look soon revealed a huge dirty rat!!!!  Hue is  a great place, but man do you get hassled…”where you go? you want motorbike?” etc. etc. etc. etc……..aaarrrgh!

Hoi An flooded!

After this I headed slightly north to Dong Ha – old DMZ area – Ho Chi Minh trail, the legendary Khe Sanh (why Cold Chisel sang about this place I dont know as the Aussies were not really based here?), Vinh Moc tunnels,. Spent 2 days with a guide on the back of  a motorbike exploring old bases and historic sites from the Vietnam coastline to the border of Laos. A fascinating time.

Khe Sanh

Dong Ha is a dusty town where few foreigners actually stay (they normally stick to the tour buses and a do a day trip, but I wanted to explore the area more thoroughly), one night I got into a brief scuffle with some local lads who decided they wanted my wallet…lets just say they didn’t get it (and one had a very sore arm afterwards)! First time that has ever happened to me in all my travels around the world (apart from the Egyptian who threatened to cut my throat in 1997….)!

Deep in the Cu Chi tunnels

From here I returned to Hue then headed south to Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon – crazy place, lot of fun! Reuinification Palace – once the Presidential Palace where the famous scene in 1975 occurred with the communist tanks bursting through the main gates, leading to the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. Many historic places and museums to visit including the excellent War Remnants museum (as with all Communist museums it is funny to read about “Imperialist Puppets” etc). Cu Chi tunnels was a great day trip in the Iron Triangle – VC had the upper hand due to these tunnels in Vietnam war. Again HCMC is a city where everyone wants your money – be prepared to be hassled!

Then I took an important trip form an Australian perspective to Vung Tau (on a Jetsons style 1960′s hydrofoil)- where the Aussies were based in the Vietnam war – Nui Dat, Lon Phuoc tunnels and the famous site of the battle of Long Tan – met some Aussie veterans in Vung Tau – talking to them stirred up thoughts and images from the classic Redgum song “I was only 19″. They also reminded me of the crazy humour of Graham Kennedy in the movie “The Odd Angry Shot”).

Long Tan Memorial

My last few days in Nam were spent in the Mekong Delta – a great couple of days, no one bothers you and you enjoy the wonderful sites of the waterways and floating markets. I celebrated my 39th birthday with an unusual meal – Rat, Toad & Snake!!!

Mekong Delta

One of my favourite things in Vietnam (and also Eastern Europe) are Communist statues. They have some fantastic ones here – always with the same stern heroic styling, always showing the soldiers and people as strong, proud and brave. My favourite is a strange one in HCMC at the historic French colonial era central post office – a man and woman who are almost in a superman flying pose, with the Soviet “Sputnik” satellite flying next to them! Classic communist imagery.

Sputnik statue, HCMC, South Vietnam

Laos - beautiful place – Vientiane – catching up with old high school friend Dave Hart after 16 years!, Phonsavan – Plain of Jars and vast damage from Vietnam War bombing, sad moments meeting amputees from unexploded ordnance – got on Japanese TV!, Vang Vieng – tubing down the river (the most debauched place in Laos – pretty terrible really, but fun and amazing mountain scenery) and finally Luang Prabang – beautiful and peaceful temples.

That Louang – Vientiane

Plain of Jars – Site 3

AUSTRALIA (September – October 2010, December 2010 - March 2011)

Back in Melbourne for a while. Saw the mighty

Collingwood Football Club smash the Saints to win the AFL Grand Final!!!!

Collingwood Grand Final Winner 2010

Wimmera – Horsham spending time with family, Black Range, Pink Lake, Lake Hindmarsh, Little Desert NP, Grampians NP.

Pink Lake

Outback South Australia - Port Augusta, Woomera – rocket range, Coober Pedy – sleeping underground, Crocodile Harrys (had to add to my visits to sites where the Mad Max movies have been filmed i.e. Mad Max 3 in this case), the Breakaways and the beautiful Flinders Ranges – Wilpena Pound – awesome 7 hour hike!

Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, South Australia

Spent a fantastic week at Christmas with my family in Horsham. I made sure my time back in Australia involved a lot of time with my awesome neices (6 y.o. and 6 months) and nephews (4 and 2 y.o)!

The rest of my time back home was spent doing contract work over the summer with Reece Onsite – boost the coffers!!

Countries Visited

Since I first travelled outside of Australia in 1994 I have now visited the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Vietnam and Zambia.