Space Coast Blogger

I shot the larger photo above on 4/10/09 behind my place in Cape Canaveral as this Orion spacecraft mockup was being towed by one of the shuttle booster recovery ships as it was undergoing water testing. The inset photo is courtesy of NASA.

President Obama was at Kennedy Space Center today trying to calm fears over the upcoming layoffs and the potential economic disaster on the Space Coast that will involve laying off thousands of workers when the last space shuttle launches. One plan being offered by President Obama is to use the Orion Spacecraft as a rescue vehicle for the International Space Station.

Since daylight savings time changed on Sunday, I found myself waking up early enough to catch the sunrise Cocoa Beach is famous for. Now if I can only make an effort to change all my clocks.

Brevard County has plenty of alligators and you’re likely to find them anywhere. I recently spotted these alligators at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge catching the sun and warming themselves from the recent cold weather.

There’s a scene right out of Pirate’s of the Caribbean playing at Port Canaveral. The first ship to enter the ghost fleet was the Liquid Vegas in May of last year. The company filled for bankruptcy and the ship has been sold, however its still docked at the port.

Then SunCruz Surfside Princess was the next to enter the abyss, it last set sail on Dec 13 and its parent company Ocean Casino Cruises also filed for bankruptcy.

Then two more ghost casino ships appeared out of nowhere, the SunCruz VIII from Myrtle Beach and the SunCruz VI from Jacksonville. We’ll keep an eye out for Capt. Jack Sparrow and more casino ghost ships.

Pictured is the Carnival Dream entering Port Canaveral for the first time on Nov 18, the ship began regular service on Dec 12. Carnival’s largest cruise ship can accommodate 3650 passengers and is 1004 feet long and 158 feet wide. The newest of Port Canaveral Cruise Ships will embark on seven-day Caribbean cruises.