Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Space Shuttle Inspiration, Astronaut beach house, and NASA recovery ship. Also, be sure to include Crawlerway in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Florida).
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Space Shuttle Inspiration
Tourist attraction in Brevard County, Florida. Space Shuttle Inspiration is a full-scale Space Shuttle mockup built in 1972 by North American Rockwell. The plastic and wood model was made to promote the company's bid to construct the Space Shuttle fleet.[1]
Astronaut beach house
Building in Brevard County, Florida. The Astronaut Beach House is a two-story house built in 1962 as a part of the then Neptune Beach subdivision at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
NASA purchased the development through eminent domain for $31,500 in 1963 to accommodate the expanding Kennedy Space Center, and other private homes were removed. Unlike a nearby gas station and store, the home was left and has served as a social gathering point for astronauts prior to launch. Officially it was called the Astronaut Training and Rehabilitation Building then, today it is officially titled the Kennedy Space Center Conference Center. Throughout its history with NASA it has been known as the Astronaut Beach House or simply The Beach House.
It stands 50 meters back from the shoreline directly in between Pads 40 and 41. It also serves as a private conference center, and for astronauts and their families for private gatherings and barbecues before launch. The house contains memorabilia including wine bottles signed by crew members identified by mission decals.[2]
NASA recovery ship
The NASA recovery ships are two ships, the MV Liberty Star and the MV Freedom Star, that were tasked with retrieving spent Solid Rocket Boosters following the launch of Space Shuttle missions. Although owned by NASA, the ships were operated by Space Flight Operations contractor United Space Alliance. Following the end of the Space Shuttle program, and therefore booster recovery, NASA transferred both vessels to the Department of Transportation.[3]
Crawlerway
The Crawlerway is a 130-foot-wide double pathway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It runs between the Vehicle Assembly Building and the two launch pads at Launch Complex 39. It has a length of 3.4 and 4.2 miles to Pad 39A and Pad 39B, respectively. A seven-foot bed of stones lies beneath a layer of asphalt and a surface made of Tennessee river rocks.
The Crawlerway was originally designed to support the weight of the Saturn V rocket and its payload, plus the Launch Umbilical Tower and mobile launcher platform, atop a crawler-transporter during the Apollo program. It was also used from 1981 to 2011 to transport the lighter Space Shuttles to their launch pads.
Construction of the Crawlerway connected Merritt Island with the mainland, forming a peninsula. The main vehicle access road to and from the launch pads, the Saturn Causeway, runs alongside the Crawlerway.[4]