Themed Entertainment Riding Shuttle Launch Experience

Monday, December 01, 2008 Themed Entertainment: Riding Shuttle Launch Experience One of the perks of having the IAAPA show in Orlando is getting to tour the local attractions and bring along family members. Boaz Rubin, husband of Blooloop editor Judith Rubin, wrote his impressions of Shuttle Launch Experience at Kennedy Space Center.

To Not Be an Astronaut - Before we board the launch vehicle at Kennedy Space Center, we are told by our on-video host, veteran astronaut Charlie Bolden, that Shuttle Launch Experience is the best simulation of the real event yet devised (for public consumption) and I easily believe it. We get all the roar of the real thing as the ride shakes, rattles, and even rolls just enough. I, for one, am glad that Jane & Joe (don’t call me six-pack) Public have this window into the launch experience. I’m not fooled, nor is anybody else likely to be fooled, that the ride is really like going into space. The simple knowledge that one can step outside afterwards and find sunny Florida waiting makes a world of difference. The ride goers all know that the real shuttle experience is far more dangerous and demanding than any simulator ride and we don’t really want to see our lives flashing before our eyes as we sit perched atop more explosive power than we dare to imagine. But then real astronauts are not Jane & Joe Public. They all have advanced degrees. By contrast, according to the US Census Bureau, in 2005 less than 30% of Americans aged 25 or older had even a Bachelor’s degree. Astronauts are also in top physical condition, and it takes years of special training on top of those advanced degrees before an astronaut gets the thumbs-up to actually visit space. Our spacemen and women are among the top mental and physical athletes America has to offer. They operate in the most demanding and dangerous environment that humans have ever entered successfully on a sustained basis. And, based on some of the footage that comes back, they have fun! In fact, they get downright silly, chasing their food around in zero gravity like goldfish, or doing weight lifting tricks. I admire all astronauts for their courage, for their abilities and their determination - and I was mildly horrified to learn that the US shuttle program is currently underfunded. That mysterious, glorious, star-filled vacuum we call outer space is no place for most of us to actually visit, and that’s why we have Shuttle Launch Experience. And for me, it’s enough. I’m content to have my fun down here – but I also wish to know that those who are best qualified will continue to pursue goals and reap rewards in the unforgiving and merciless environment of space. See also: We Can Just Leave Right Now ... Theming, Presidential Libraries and Space Shuttles Nexxus Lighting the Shuttle Launch Experience Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Launch Experience Continues to Thrill Space Enthusiasts
Posted By Judith Rubin -- At 8:05 PM \| Comments (0) \| Trackbacks (0)
Categories Attractions Business, Museums, Planetariums, Science Centres , Trade Shows Tags IAAPA, kennedy space centre, shuttle launch experience
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