Wednesday, December 01, 2010

A Different Kind of Garden

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I love tropical gardens. The hot colors and lush foliage make me dream of lying in a hammock under a breezy palm tree sipping a cool drink.




But this was a different kind of tropical garden.
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The gigantic rockets and spacecrafts stand as a testament to NASA's awesome program in the Rocket Garden.


Touring the Kennedy Space Center near Port Canaveral, Florida is a humbling experience. Everything is huge – from the rockets to the 8 foot wide strips of the American Flag painted on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building. I was awed at the ingenuity and courage of the multitude of men and women in the program as I watched the 3D movie of the Space Shuttle mission.


The shuttle Discovery waits on the launch pad for its next scheduled trip to the International Space Station on December 17, 2010. See more information about this mission here.


I wish them safe trip and good flying!



(Great educational material and other fun stuff at NASA Connect. )
Ongoing research: Osteoporosis – Astronauts lose bone mass at the rate of 1% to 2% per month. NASA research has already come up with a fast and inexpensive tool to measure the extent of bone loss without exposing the patient to radiation by analyzing the stiffness of bones. Continued NASA research may uncover ways to prevent or end this debilitating disease.
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6 comments:

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

I would never guess! They did a good job planting such a garden!

Marie said...

Tatyana,
I agree. It is a clever way to display the huge space ships and rockets.

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Now that is what I call yard art. LOL! I have been to the Space Center in Houston, and it is equally awe inspiring. I would love to see the one in Florida. Thanks for taking us along!

Marie said...

Thanks Jenny,
It is fascinating. I am now hooked on the NASA channel on cable TV. I hope I get to watch the shuttle launch.

donna said...

That would be a cool drink with a little umbrella in it, right? ha-ha

I agree with you about how lovely the colored foliage is in tropical gardens. Can't think of the name, but the plant in the 3rd photo....I get sucked into buying them because of their pretty foliage and then can never keep them alive.

I'm not one much for travel, but would surely love a trip to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Very, very interesting about the osteoporosis research.

Welcome home.

donna

Marie said...

Donna,

I think the plant you are talking about in the third picture is a Croton. I bought one but it didn't last long. I haven't given up. I'll buy another one when I see it at the garden center.

Kennedy Space Center was an amazing place to visit. It will mean even more when I see the shuttle blast off on December 17!