Launch Trip

It was a really fun trip.  Probably my favorite trip of my life.  I was kind of sad when it came time to get back on the bus and go home, but I also wanted to be home.  My favorite thing was feeding the dolphins, and my least favorite thing was the bus trip.  I was really glad I decided to go on this trip.  At first I didn't know if I would want to, because I had to do a bunch of projects, but I'm glad I went.  I'm glad to be home now and I will never forget this trip.

Kennedy Space Center

The last day of the trip, we went to the Kennedy Space Center.  The first thing I did was ride the space shuttle simulator.  It tilted us up like we were in the shuttle.  Then it blasted off and the simulator shook.  Eventually we made it into "space" and saw the stars everywhere.  We tried to get in to see a movie but it got full before we got to go in.  We went inside a fake space shuttle and saw what was inside it.  We also rode on a bus to go see one of the launch pads.  We saw the one that they shot Atlantis off of.  We also got to see the Apollo 18 rocket that never went into space.  We even got to touch the moon.  It was my dad's first time but I had done it before in Washington D.C.  At 6pm we got on the bus and started the long trip back home.

SeaWorld

The day after the launch we went to SeaWorld.  It was really fun.  I did so many things there.  When we first got there, we walked by the dolphin nursery.  We stayed and watched the dolphins swim around.  They were so cute.  Then we went to ride the Manta.  It was a roller coaster that went along the track as you were laying down.  It was really fun, and unlike any other roller coaster I have ridden, it wasn't jerky.  We went to go see Shamu.  It was a cool show.  I was sitting in the splash zone, but the section I was sitting at didn't get too wet.  The other sections around us got drenched, but we only got wet a few times.  We also rode another roller coaster called the Kraken. It was fun, but I liked the Manta better.  Then we rode the Journey to Atlantis.  It was a weird ride.  We saw Medusa in the ride. Then we fell down the big hill.  We also rode the Skytower and saw a good view of SeaWorld.  We went to dolphin cove and got to feed dolphins.  It was my favorite part of the trip.  I gave them a fish and got to pet them.  It was fun.  We also got to touch stingrays.  They felt slimy.  We saw a dolphin show and it was really cool.  It was like a story. There was a girl who loved dolphins and she got to swim with them and then exotic birds started flying around and a person dressed as a bird was flying around.  And then some people were riding on dolphins.  It was a very cool show.  We rode a helicopter simulator and then saw some animals that lived in the arctic like polar bears and beluga whales.  We saw lots of other aquatic animals in SeaWorld like manatees and sharks.  At the end of the day we saw fireworks.  It was my favorite day of the trip.

Atlantis Launch

Today we saw the space shuttle Atlantis launch into space.  It was really cool.  We watched it from on a bridge.  We were at the closest viewing spot open to the public.  I got a video of the launch and my dad took lots of pictures.  Before the launch, I was looking at the water under the bridge.  I saw a lot of dolphins swimming around.  After the launch we went to Cocoa Beach.  As we were driving there, we saw a huge cruise ship.  Later at the beach, we saw the ship heading out to sea.  It was fun swimming in the ocean.  It was fun swimming with the waves.

Bus Trip

 The bus trip to get to Florida was very boring.  At least there was a dvd player so we watched some movies.  I was really excited to get to Florida.  I had never been there before and I wanted to get off the bus.  I can't wait to see the last launch of the space shuttle.  I'm also excited for SeaWorld.  My favorite animal is a dolphin, so I think I'm going to like it there.  I'm also excited for the Kennedy Space Center.  I heard there is a space shuttle simulator there.  It sounds like fun.

Colonizing on on other Planets

I think we should try to build colonies on other planets.  It would give us a chance to explore the universe even more than just being in a rocket.  I don't think that the human race will destroy itself, but exploring space and finding places we could live other than Earth would be a great achievement for us.  It could be possible that an asteroid will destroy Earth in the future.  If we had colonized on other planets, the human race could still live on.  So if we ever found a way to colonize somewhere else other than Earth, even if it would take over 100 years to get there, we should make it a reality.

Blog for Week 3

The space shuttle is retiring and NASA will continue to do other things to explore space and learn about what is out there.  I think NASA's main purpose of exploration should be to find ways to send people farther out into space.  Perhaps one day they will land someone on Mars.  This would be a huge achievement.  Probably greater than the moon landing.  It would be worth the billions of dollars they would have to spend on it because it will help us learn even more about the universe.  It will effect my life, and anyone else on this planet in a similar way that the moon landing effected people in 1969.

Space Exploration

Space exploration is important because it lets us have a better view of what is out in space.  We can learn more about planets, stars, and everything else. It is worth the billions of dollars spent on it because there are things we can do in space that would not be possible on Earth.  NASA has learned so much about space that was unknown a few years ago.  I like learning about space and what is out there. It has effected my life by allowing me to learn what NASA has learned.

Why does this trip interest me?

I was interested in this trip because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This is the final shuttle NASA is going to send into space, so it is the only chance I would have to see something like this. I think it is going to be a very fun and very educational trip. Other than the long boring car ride, I think I'll have a great time.