Cosmic
Trails 2TM

NASA’s KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

AN INSIDER’S VIEW
Saturday, March 5, 9:30am to 5pm

Guided by tour specialists, see the giant structures that make up the world’s largest launch facility. Get an up close look at the coastal launch pads that unleashed the power to put people on the moon and send space shuttles to the International Space Station. Discover what it takes to launch the space shuttle from preparation to liftoff. All of this and more are included in our full day of tours and events. Our tour will include:

• LC 39 Observation Gantry:
  The 60-foot-tall Launch Complex (LC) 39 Observation Gantry provides a breathtaking 360-degree view of the two giant Shuttle Launch Pads, 39A and 39B. In addition to the bird’s-eye view of the launch pad structures, the panorama also includes the Launch Control Center, the well-traveled crawlerway and the massive Vehicle Assembly Building.

• International Space Station Center:
  This fascinating attraction gives you an up-close glimpse inside the facility where NASA prepares the components of the International Space Station. In an elevated observation room, you’ll see the processing bay where each Space Station component is checked out, processed, and readied for its trip into orbit. After the observation room, you can enter a full-scale mock-up of the Habitation Module and see how Space Station crew members live, sleep, and work.
• Lunch With an Astronaut:
  We’ll pause for lunch and meet a veteran member of NASA’s Astronaut Corps. An impressive roster of astronauts have appeared since the program’s inception in 2001, among them Wally Schirra, John Glenn, Jim Lovell, etc. While we don’t know yet who we’ll be lunching with we do know that after lunch we’ll participate in a 30-minute interactive Q&A with the Astronaut.
• Apollo/Saturn V Center:
  The Apollo/Saturn V Center is the home of the largest rocket ever built — a real Saturn V 363-foot long moon rocket.

• IMAX Space Films:
  In two giant IMAX theaters, the dream of spaceflight comes alive. Dramatic footage shot by NASA astronauts during actual missions will make you feel like you’re floating alongside them.
• Astronaut Hall of Fame:
  Explore a rare collection of astronaut artifacts and see remarkable displays, exhibits, and tributes dedicated to the heroes. From Wally Schirra’s Sigma 7 Mercury spacecraft to stunning glass etchings that line the Hall of Heroes, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments of astronauts everywhere. After you see the Astronaut Hall of Fame, it’s your turn to take the controls with hands-on activities such as the G-Force Trainer that lets you feel the pressure of four times the force of gravity, the shuttle landing simulator, and riding a rover across the rocky Martian terrain.

Price: $225. Includes the tour as described above, plus: lunch onsite at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), transportation from the KSC to our pre-cruise hotel in Ft. Lauderdale (March 5), and dinner (on March 5). If you book by June 1, 2010 this trip is included with your $1,375 Conference fee.
 

PRICING & GENERAL INFO.

Cruise prices vary from $899 for an Inside Stateroom to $2,699 for a Deluxe Suite, per person. (Cruise pricing is subject to change.) For those attending our PROGRAM, there is a $1,375 fee. Government taxes, cruiseline fees, and port charges are $129 per person. Gratuities are $11 per person per day. All prices and fees are detailed on the BOOK NOW page.

For a detailed listing of the cruise itinerary please review our ITINERARY page. Use our PRICING CALCULATOR for a quick price quote!

For questions, please don't hestitate in calling Neil Bauman or Theresa Mazich at InSightCruises.com (650-787-5665) or emailing Neil@InSightCruises.com.
 

SPEAKERS

Alan Boss, Ph.D.
Alan Dyer
Harold McAlister, Ph.D.
Steven Miller
Ivan Semeniuk
 

Speakers have confirmed their intent to participate; however, scheduling conflicts may arise.
 

SEMINARS

The conference fee is $1,375 and includes all 22 seminars below. You may take every class — i.e., there will be no overlap as only one class will be going on at any one time. Classes only take place when we’re at sea, between 8:30am and 7:30pm.

Observing the Sky

• The Power and Progress of Radio Astronomy
• Superscopes: The Future of Cosmic Exploration
• Choosing and Using a Telescope
• Small Telescopes in the 21st Century
• A Second Century for Mount Wilson Observatory

Shooting the Sky

Celestial Navigation

Beyond Our Solar System

Within Our Solar System