Give Me Space

Clayton had only two dreams this summer.  One was to go to NASA and the other was to go rock climbing.  Both those dreams came true this week when we took a trip to NASA and discovered that the new "Science of Survival" exhibit there includes a series of challenging obstacle courses - including rock climbing.  It may have been the happiest day of his life.

We enjoyed all our favorite space things - the space shuttles, moon rocks, flight simulators (Isaac's favorite), Angry Birds Space maze (full of slingshots), and two theater presentations.  We even went to a live lecture about "Curiosity", the rover that landed on Mars exactly a year ago and is still there collecting and sending information.  The lecture (though interesting) turned out to be mainly for high school and college students.  Lydia was too noisy and after several dirty looks in our direction, we left early.  

But the highlight of the day was the "Chomp" exhibit.  Live crocodiles and a crazy obstacle course in the middle of a space museum!  For boys, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Here is Clayton on the way to the top of the Lemur Climb. It wouldn't be so hard if these poles stayed still.  But they sway.  It looked way too scary for me.

The rock climbing looked a little more solid.  Clayton zipped to the top several times.

So did Brig.

And after several falls and getting back in line again, Clayton finally made it to the top of this one.  The only time I saw it happen all day.  Go Clay!

The other kids loved the less-scary obstacle courses.  I kept losing them inside tunnels, over tire bridges, and hanging from ropes.  I was nervous wreck by the time we left.

The kids also loved the "space" part of the space museum. . .

especially the Angry Birds maze

 

and the flight simulator.  Here, Clayton and Isaac are taking the training course.

We ate lunch outside by the Mars exhibit.

 “Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

 - Carl Sagan

We love NASA!