Blast Off with the Astronauts! – The Spectacular Kennedy Space Center
Mission Zone: Heroes & Legends
Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous words, uttered as he stepped onto the moon, are fitting to think about as you visit the Kennedy Space Center’s Mission Zone: Heroes & Legends. “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” is profound in its simplicity.1
That small step for a man – stepping off of the lunar lander module and onto the moon – seemed anything but small. It was an enormous accomplishment! Thousands of people, thousands of hours of labor, and thousands of pieces of equipment had all gone into that one step. How could Armstrong call it small?
He could see the bigger picture, the future of mankind. That one step implied a future full of space travel, a never-ending search for answers to unknown questions, and that was so much bigger.
Nevertheless, those steps had to be taken by someone, and small or not. They were steps into a big unknown. Since that famous first step into the unknown in 1969, hundreds more have been taken by brave men and women of NASA just like Armstrong. There is no doubt these astronauts, and Armstrong himself, are heroes.
But what makes them heroes? Is it taking that step, or is it what motivates them to take the step – or both?
Like the astronauts who seek to answer questions of the universe, this is the question you have to answer when completing Mission Zone: Heroes & Legends!
What is a Hero?
It’s clear from the moment you set foot in the exhibit at Kennedy Space Center that the goal is to honor our heroes and inspire future leaders.
You’ve just passed the larger-than-life portraits of seven astronauts, etched into the façade of the building, “suggesting that these pioneers risked their lives for a cause much larger than themselves.”2
When you tear your gaze away from their faces, which are staring out over the crowds as intently as they stared out into the stars, you find yourself enveloped in a 360-degree discovery bay.
The wrap-around screen surrounds you with heroes, but not just astronauts; there’s President Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and even comic book heroes like Superman (who is pretty great, but obviously, Batman is the best).
The question is asked – the same question who’s the answer you seek on your mission – “What is a hero?”
As a film begins, you are surrounded by “everyday” people who are trying to find the answer, too. Some list off their personal heroes, ranging from movie stars to pilots, while others talk about a parent and even a ninth-grade teacher. Each answer holds a common thread: the hero was someone who inspired them.
The most beautiful part about the diversity of the answers is the implication that anyone can be a hero to someone else.
When the film comes to a close, as if by magic, a set of doors swing open in the darkness, inviting you to explore the legacy of some of America’s greatest heroes: her space travelers.
Through the Eyes of a Hero
Perhaps the most thrilling part of this next portion of the exhibit is that, for just a little bit, you become one of these space-traveling heroes. . .or, at the very least, feel as if you’ve journeyed with them, side by side.
To embark on the next step of this mission, you must plunge yourself into darkness, finding yourself on a suspended platform; it feels a bit like you’re floating in space.
Another 360-degree theater comes to life, around, above, and below you, and a pair of 3D glasses bring it all into vivid, heart-pounding focus. Now you really are floating in space, miles above the earth! Don’t worry. You aren’t alone out here – astronauts Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Jim Lovell, and Neil Armstrong are here to guide you on your hero’s journey!
They’re certainly qualified for such a trip: Alan Shepard was the first American in space; John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth, among other accomplishments; Jim Lovell flew with both the Gemini and Apollo missions, famously commanding the perilous Apollo 13 mission; and Neil Armstrong, of course, was the first man on the moon.
They will immerse you in their stories, the thrills, and the dangers – like that one time when they. . .
Well, I’ll let them tell you when you see them. I don’t want to steal their thunder!
However, these astronauts don’t just tell you about themselves (it seems that a key part of being a good hero is being humble). They also take special care to acknowledge the heroic and “invaluable efforts” of those not in the spotlight: the engineers, technicians, mission controllers, administrators, and others who helped them achieve their missions.3
A Hero Is…
From your adventure with these legendary astronauts, you go on to see some of the artifacts featured in their adventures.
Superman had his cape, and the astronauts had the Gemini 9 capsule. Now enshrined in the Kennedy Space Center, Gemini 9 is just as much a time capsule as a space capsule. The close-up view of the cramped space is a reminder that becoming a hero doesn’t just happen in a moment. It’s a journey of endurance!
Suspended above you is another capsule, the Sigma 7, along with the Mercury-Redstone 6 rocket. Below are 9 “pods,” each emblazoned with the characteristics that make up a hero.
The answer to your question now lies before you: inspired, passionate, curious, tenacious, disciplined, confident, courageous, principled, and selfless.
Within each of these “pods,” which are modeled after shuttle cockpits, interactive exhibits showcasing astronaut artifacts and their stories.
Some artifacts at Kennedy Space Center are from missions, like a space suit or mission patch, but others are more personal; they are items the astronauts themselves found to be an inspiration, which helped shape them into heroes. Among these items are several toys, “reminding us that what we do as children (and what we expose our children to) really does mold who they become.”4 It’s also a reminder that everyone has the potential to become a hero to somebody else.
Astronaut Hall of Fame
Now that your question has been answered, your mission is coming to a close–but not before you get to meet all of NASA’s greatest heroes. You enter Kennedy Space Center‘s Hall of Fame, greeted by Alan Shepard, who you’ve gotten to know rather well, in statue form. He looks proud, not of himself, but to be standing among the other 93 courageous men and women. Their faces are illuminated along the walls, like holographs. You half expect them to be able to speak with you.
Another interactive station, this time a 360-degree touch screen cylinder in the center of the room, is a library of information on the 93 inductees. You might find some of the words from that very first exhibit ringing in your ears: “It’s a privilege. It’s magical, actually; the experience, the connection that there is between an astronaut and other people.”5
Indeed, after all this time – has it really only been an afternoon? – you certainly feel a connection with these spacewalkers.
Before you go, using the cylinder, you can summon one of the Mercury 7 astronauts who will be happy to take a selfie with you. And trust me, you’ll want a picture, so you never forget this incredible journey.
Rocket Garden
Outside of Mission Zone: Heroes & Legends, there is one last thing to see: the Rocket Garden. It’s a key part of the Kennedy Space Center’s skyline.
Each one of the towering rockets (8 total) is an authentic machine that helped pioneer America’s space exploration, although many of them have never been to space (as rockets were not reused or retrieved in the “early days”).6
These giants of the Kennedy Space Center are the perfect guardians of the Heroes & Legends mission zone because they are a “tribute to the scientists and engineers who turned dreams of spaceflight into reality,” the unsung heroes of space exploration.7
Mission Zone: Heroes & Legends is a place like no other. Writer Samantha Feuss of the Chicago Tribune notes, “spending time at the Kennedy Space Center‘s Heroes and Legends was almost healing, a balm to the soul. Looking to the stars brought me back to Earth. It was a gentle reminder of a proud history, of great minds and brave souls working together to achieve tremendous things.”8
This is what makes a hero: taking “small steps” so someone else can take a “giant leap,” even if it’s after you’re gone. Being a hero is planting seeds, so someone else can grow.
So, your mission is complete, and your question has been answered, but now you have a new assignment, and it could take a lifetime to complete: how are you going to be a hero?
Have you been to Kennedy Space Center‘s Mission Zone: Heroes & Legends? Leave a comment below telling us about your favorite part! Oh, and we want to know – who is your hero?
Signing off for now, but stay tuned for Part 3 of our Kennedy Space Center series!
(Check out Part 1 here.)
Cover Image
Photo: Unsplash
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