©2011 Just Shooting Memories (all rights reserved)

Today’s Photo: Flagged

I was exploring the US Space and Rocket Center in Birmingham, Alabama, when I noticed the flags flying outside.  It just happened that the end of the building was a huge glass wall with the tail end of a Saturn V rocket just waiting to blast through it.  The flags made such a …Continue Reading Here…

©2011 Just Shooting Memories (all rights reserved)

Today’s Photo: Entrance to the Moon

Have you ever wanted to walk on the Moon or maybe, just feel like you are walking on the Moon?  When I was growing up, I kept the dream of being an astronaut alive much longer than my peers.  I was always fascinated by stars, planets, moons, galaxies, you name it.  If it was in space, I wanted to know about it.  So, as part of that, I imagined what it would have been like to be Neal Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin and take the first steps on the Moon.

While at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, I was able to get my first taste of walking on the Moon.  Now, I missed out …Continue Reading Here…

Adventures in Astrophotography

I was too excited about this to not post it tonight.  I have tried, unsuccessfully for a couple of weeks to get a good astrophotography time lapse.  It has been frustrating to say the least.  Whatever you do, make sure you check everything and then double check it again.

I wanted to post this to Vimeo, but had trouble with the video jumping when it was in the small player. However, I have added my first successful attempt to YouTube.

Today’s Photo:  The Saturn V

In honor of posting the star time lapse, I decided to post a photo of one of the rockets that took many of our finest one step closer to the stars.  The mighty Saturn V rocket is such a beautiful sight standing at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  This place is even cool enough to have two of them.  One is standing in front of the center while the other is inside a huge room in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.  The rocket outside is held off the ground by supports so that you can walk underneath it and see the five massive rocket engines of the first stage.  All I can say is, I can’t wait for the United States to have an active space fleet again.

I also got to go to the Udvar-Hazy building of the Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. and see the shuttle Enterprise.  And while you check it out, don’t miss last Wednesday’s Daily Photo.

I took the family to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center on Saturday.  It was a great adventure but very tiresome for a day trip.  It was a dream of mine when I was smaller to go to Space Camp there, but that never came to fruition.  I was glad to finally make it to the center.  When you pull into the parking lot, you are greeted with the massive view of a Saturn V rocket sitting in front of the building.  The length of the shadow which it throws at 9 A.M.  is just amazing.  There was a lot to see there, but not as much as I would have liked.

Today’s Photo:  The Quick Plane

When you enter the front of the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, you are greeted by the Quick Plane.  This plane was made by William Quick and it is hard to believe this plane was the competition to the Wright Brothers.  To me, it looks so much more advanced.