The Experience that Started it all

I visited Cape Canaveral with my family in March of 2020. We originally were going to stay in Tampa where we landing and then travel over to the cost the next day. However while on the plane my mom realized there was going to be a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch (CRS-20 Mission) the night we landed! She's awesome!

Getting nachos at the hotel restaurant before the launch

So we ended up making the decision to go straight from the airport to Cocoa Beach, FL (the closest public beach to the launch pads) where we were staying. The launch was at 11:50 pm so we had to go straight from the airport to our hotel. By the time we got there is was around 11 pm, so we brought our bags up to our room, then I remember having some crazy good nachos. After that we went out to the beach to watch the launch.

I remember it being a chilly and extremely wind night. This launch actually ended up being the windiest conditions SpaceX had launched in. However by the time the engines ignited and the rocket lifted off I remember thinking how bright it was, it lit up the entire sky. Then the sound reached us. It was amazing how loud and powerful it was. I remember being able to feel the vibrations in my chest, it was amazing.

Falcon 9 lifting off

Just by pure luck this was also a return to launch site mission (RTLS) meaning we got to see the booster land. Because it was a clear night we could see the reentry burn and I remember my mom saying "Did it explode?" once the burn started as we did not know at the time it was supposed to do that. However everything went very smoothly and we saw the booster reignite it's engines for the third and final time for the landing burn.

It was incredible seeing how fast the booster slowed down and then perfectly came to a stop once it landed. While the sound from the engines weren't as loud this time the sonic boom's were. They were probably the loudest part of the launch and I remember just being stunned at what I had witnessed. This was the moment that sparked my interest rockets.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/3bc258_55057a38ddea43dc8897b7814fe4d426/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Falcon 9 Landing!

Going to KSC

The next day we went to the Kennedy Space Center, it was super cool to see all the old Apollo era rockets as well as seeing Space Shuttle Atlantis up close. I also remember driving by the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and just thinking how big that thing was. I think this trip even though I was only 12 years old, has been one of the most influential trips and experiences so far in my life.