After a long wait at the doctor’s office for our annual visit we decided to high tail it down to the Johnson Space Center. I was like a little kid all the way there. I was driving and still asked ‘are we there yet’ to many times to count. Donna and I are space geeks. I don’t want to tell you how many times we have seen The Martian or From Here to the Moon.

My most vivid and tragic memory the space program is January 29, 1986. I was in high school when the Challenger exploded. I was so excited that I was going to be able to view the launch because we had a half day at school due to mid-terms. I remember running home so that I could get there before the countdown. I made it home with about 10 minutes to spare. I remember popping some popcorn and settling in to watch the launch. It was the first time in my remembrance that such an accident occurred. Exploring space is not easy. People die in our quest to move beyond our earth.

I so wanted to be able to travel into space. Between my love for Star Trek and Star Wars, I know that one day, if possible, I will make it into space. I know I have a few items to over come though. It seems in my adulthood that I have developed a vertigo and motion sickness. I found out about the vertigo at the Grand Canyon. My eye lost the horizon as I was walking down to Mather Point. I fell over. Yep, right down to the ground. Every time I tried to walk I looked like a drunken fool. It was quite hilarious. I found out about the motion sickness during this trip to the Johnson Space Center. There is a view out one of the windows of the Space Station where this is a live feed from there looking at the earth. I jumped up on the platform and started my view. I started to call for Donna about a minute in. I would completely sick. I am so glad that I did not throw up.

It’s a magical place with some many things to see. My only regret was that we could only be there for three and a half hours. We had a 9 am and 9:15 am doctor’s appointment. We did not leave her office until 11:45 am. That being said, we (meaning me) tore through that place as quickly as I could read any given exhibit. The lines for certain exhibits are long so you need to pack your patience.

My favorite parts were the early space travel and mission control areas. I would recommend this as an all day experience. Veterans receive a slight discount on the $29.95 ticket price.