Kennedy Space Center, FL – The Space Coast said good bye to one of our most famous residence, Space Shuttle Discovery, on Tuesday, April 17. Discovery was flown over head along the Space Coast one final time. Discovery took off from the runway at KSC at first light, around 7 am, and then the orbiter and Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flew over Kennedy Space Center and the KSC Visitor Complex, headed south to around Patrick AFB then turned around and flew back up the coast along Cocoa Beach & Cape Canaveral and then fly out for D.C. Even though the shuttles are scheduled to flew out there will still be rocket launches to enjoy.

On April 10, a very special plane landed at the Kennedy Space Center, it was a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, originally manufactured for commercial use, it was turned into a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, by NASA and designated NASA 905. It was here to prepare to ferry the shuttle Discovery on her flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va.

Discovery was the third in NASA’s fleet of orbiters after the Columbia and Challenger. It was launched for the first time on Aug. 30, 1984, completed 39 missions, including the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope, and landed at KSC for the last time on March 9, 2011.

Discovery will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Republished from PlacesAroundFlorida.com

As winter arrives so do large numbers of waterfowl to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Above, blue-winged teal come in for a landing. One of the best things about living on the Space Coast is all the opportunities to get outdoors and visit the parks and refuges. Merritt Island NWR is one of the best national parks in Florida to see wildlife.

Two black ducks rest while a blue-winged teal feeds.

These pintails were photographed along Black Point Wildlife Drive.

Black ducks seeking shade under mangroves.

I can’t remember ever seeing shovelers before, so this was a rare treat.

Coots are the most common waterfowl species in Florida.

Yesterday while the folks in North Carolina were preparing for landfall of Hurricane Irene, surfers on Cocoa Beach were taking advantage of the westerly winds and head-high swells.

The Cocoa Beach Hot Rod Power Tour rumbled into Cocoa Beach this weekend as fans lined A1A for the kick-off of the nation’s top car show. Pictured above is 67 SS Camaro that was part of the Ron Jon Friday Night Cruise. The show was held at Port Canaveral and as many as 3000 cars participated.

57 Chevy

69 Pontiac GTO Judge

2007 Shelby Mustang GT500

68 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400

70 Dodge Challenger RT

Space Shuttle Endeavour is about to make its final trip from Launch Complex 39A for mission STS-134 at Kennedy Space Center. With only two Space Shuttle launches left, I wanted to share my favorite photo of Space Shuttle Endeavour, with the Crawler Transporter in foreground, which I shot when I worked at CCAFS. View more Space Shuttle Tribute Images.

The photo above is of Endeavour sitting in wait on Launch Complex 39B for the STS-400 mission which never launched. STS-400 was the Space Shuttle contingency support (Launch On Need) flight, which would have been launched if a major problem had occurred on Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-125.

Currently, Endeavour is set for lift off in mid April. See my Cape Canaveral Launch Schedule for more information about the mission and times and dates of more launches.

So far, Space Shuttle Endeavour has been on 24 missions with 148 crew members, spent over 280 days in space, orbited the earth 4,429 times and traveled 103,149,636 miles. I wish Godspeed and a safe flight to Endeavour and her STS-134 crew.

The Portuguese Man o’ War is common on Space Coast beaches this time of year just as spring break in Florida comes around.

These were spotted over the weekend on Cocoa Beach. Treatment for man o’war stings have been popularized in TV episodes of Friends, however medical personal advise against it.

We shot these pictures yesterday of the fire in the St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge just northwest of I-95 and the Cheney Hwy (SR 50) while on our way back from a press trip I was doing on Spring Break in Daytona Beach. The fire is reported to have burned 1,700 acres.

Every time I see a wildfire my wife sighs because she knows I’ll be blurting our one of my favorite phrases, Fire! Fire! In a way only a die-hard Beavis & Butt-Head fan would recognize.

Of course local media outlets were there to cover the blaze, must be too many hours of programming to fill with real news like the ongoing Casey Anthony saga.

As a former Boy Scout leader I’ve always thought of camping and scouting was a good outlet for children to work out their fascination with fire in a healthy environment.

Last Sunday, the Central Florida TBEX had their kick-off meeting at the Orlando Science Center. The OSC is a great place to spend a day with family learning about the world we live in. The OSC features skywatching the first and third Saturdays of each month from the Crosby Observatory.

NatureWorks offers a glimpse of cypress swamp habitat with live alligators, turtles and a mangrove system.

Go back in time at DinoDigs and see fossil replica displays of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and its likely prey the Edmontosaurus Annectens and a few others.

Kids and families will find plenty to do at the science center. There are flight simulators, hands-on exhibits about electricity, sound, light and magnetism, even a 70′ pinewood derby track at the interactive Science Park exhibit.

For more from travel bloggers who were at OSC, view these blog postings:
The Good Travel Life
Zengirl

The USAF Thunderbirds were the headliners in Cocoa Beach this past weekend for a two day air show. The crowds were large and the show was spectacular.

The Thunderbirds fly F-16s and are based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, NV. After watching all the military aircraft perform, I’m glad there on our side.

The air show started with a flag jump from a member of the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles.

Then proceeded with a flyby from F-16s from the Florida Makos based at Homestead Air Reserve Base.

We were treated with a flyby from a C-47, the Tico Belle.

A pair of F-22 Raptors made a couple of passes.

John Black and his 8KCAB Super Decathlon performed stunts like it was a cartoon or something.

Our local boys, the 920th Rescue Wing from Patrick AFB always make us proud.

An F-15 Strike Eagle from the Demo Team at Seymour Johnson AFB, in North Carolina.

The F-15 wowed the crowd with its demonstration.

Jason Newburg and his Viper gave a performance that would have made Snoopy proud.

A US Navy F-18 Hornet performed an excellent demonstration flight.

Team MS760 performed superbly, I think most spectators were surprised how well this new team demonstrated their abilities.

The C-17 Globemaster was the largest aircraft on display.

Geico Skytypers amazed the crowds with aerobatic maneuvers and typed messages high above the airshow.

The Miss Geico offshore racing boat passes the World, a luxury resident cruise ship.

If you looking for a great place to watch a Space Shuttle launch, there may be no better place than Grills Seafood & Tiki Bar at Port Canaveral. Space Shuttle Discovery is set to launch in early November for one of the scheduled last two Space Shuttle launches.

Grills serves what is possibly the best Mahi sandwich on the planet. I know it’s the best I’ve ever had. The sandwich is officially called the Grilled Fish & Cheese. It’s served with either Mahi or Tuna, with grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms & smothered with cheese on a fresh toasted roll.

Grills offers a great view of the Port, and is possibly one of the best places to spend the day away from the crowded beaches and causeway the launch will attract. Check the Space Shuttle Launch Schedule for up to date information, times and dates. Sunrise Marina, which shares the waterfront space with Grills also offers fishing charters.