How many times have Jimmy and I used the Mississippi Welcome Center across the Louisiana line? Too many to count. For us, it's been a convenient spot to change drivers between Baton Rouge and Mobile. All these years we've talked about stopping at John C Stennis Space Center (SSC) which is accessed from the same rest area. "One of these times, we'll go," we kept saying, but we were always on our way here or there and didn't take the time to stop. In 2012, INFINITY Science Center was opened (next to the rest area) and we added this to our "to do" list ... yet continued to pass by.
Yes, we finally made it a point to pay our $15/per senior to visit both the science center and Stennis (named for US Senator John C Stennis, D-MS). We were completely flabbergasted by what we saw! SSC encompasses over 200 sq miles of land area including a perimeter buffer zone to insulate surrounding civilian communities from the noise of rocket engine testing by NASA. Heck, we had no idea of its size, thinking maybe a couple of miles or so, but we also didn't realize that NASA (and others) were testing rockets on site. If you're really interested click on the Stennis link above to read more.
"INFINITY Science Center is a non-profit science museum that encompasses a mix of exhibit space and hands-on experiential programming where guests -- especially kids -- can explore Earth and space through exhibits, tours through historic sites, memorable experiences and citizen science programs. INFINITY also serves as the official visitor center for NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi's largest rocket engine testing facility."
Jimmy and a Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine.
Bet it's loud.
Twice I was persuaded into climbing inside a space suit.
(tee hee)
Part of INFINITY.
We didn't have time to take in the 3D Immersive Theater and didn't want to take part in the Apollo 11 Virtual Reality Simulator, but we enjoyed walking around the center and looking at the exhibits.
The 40-minute bus tour to and of SSC was what really opened our eyes. In 1961, after rejecting other areas, Mississippi was selected because it was thinly populated and met all other requirements; however before construction began, five small communities (Gainesville, Logtown, Napoleon, Santa Rosa, and Westonia), plus the northern portion of a sixth (Pearlington), and a combined population of 700 families had to be completely relocated off the facility. Think how loud rocket testing is -- our tour guide told us it's as though 5,500 race cars started their engines at the same time! No wonder they need a vast buffer zone! (who knew?)
The tiny white objects at the base of the Test Stand are autos.
Sorry the photos are less than stellar.
The gray day and grayer bus windows didn't help.
I can't tell you more about what we saw because I don't know exactly what I was seeing. We did hear that SpaceX and others also use the testing facility. And there was something called Space Launch System (SLS) that seems to be the up-and-coming powerhouse rocket.
Back at INFINITY, Jimmy is standing before an Apollo 4 command module.
Chilling movie!
Then there's this: A Saturn V rocket that was tugged up the canal (used by Stennis), inched down I-10 at 3.5 miles an hour while traffic waited and hauled to its new and final home at INFINITY Science Center. Glad we weren't on the freeway then! The fence directly below the rocket is 8 ft (or ten?). This rocket is a monster! If you get a chance, the complex is worth a visit.
