Traveling with Tucson : April 2026

Starts out with a Bang. The Artemis II takes off to circle the moon with 4 astronauts on board. A cloudy rainy day cleared just in time for the launch.

The booster separates

We continue the space theme with a tour of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

1st stop launch complex 31

Today, recovered pieces of Space Shuttle Challenger from 28 January 1986 are stored in the silo at Pad 31B of Blockhouse 31

Pad 31A was a conventional "flat" pad while Pad 31B was a 90-foot-deep ballistic missile silo. The blockhouse was an unusual "beehive"

Next up the Lighthouse. The original lighthouse was only 65' tall. Contracts were given to lowest bidder who may or may not know lighthouse requirements to be seen out far enough at sea.

It was replaced in 1848 with a cast iron one 151 feet tall. It is the oldest standing structure on Cape Canaveral and the only fully operational lighthouse owned by the U.S. Space Force. Originally built near the shore, it was dismantled and moved over a mile inland in 1894 due to severe beach erosion

The Main Lightkeeper house is a Museum. They are going to add 2 replicas of assistant lighthousekeeper houses.

We take the stairs up. Unfortunately you can only get as far as the 5th floor.

Looks like we're too early for lunch

No nap for Gary - no bed!

Limited views

Then the trek back down

Gary was cut out to be a lighthousekeeper

Next is Hangar C

The Snark missile resembled a small jet bomber and essentially functioned as an early strategic cruise missile.

Testing of the Snark occurred at Cape Canaveral from 1952 to 1961 at Launch Complexes 1 and 2. Over 90 launches took place. Some Snark missiles flew equipped with special landing gear to allow them to return to the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral. Many were lost due to guidance system issues, leading some to joke about the "Snark-infested waters" off the Cape

The Atlas Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile could travel 9,000 miles! It could launch out of the earth's atmosphere into space.

The Quails were interesting. A decoy missile system, the Quail produced a radar signature similar to a B-52 Stratofortress. It also flew at approximately the same speed and altitude. In operation, a number of Quails could deploy from B-52s, confusing enemy radar-controlled defense systems

Apollo and Gemini capsules

Then Complex 36

Command Station Bunker

The windows had 45 panes. The computer room.

There were several Chimpanzee and Monkey Astronauts. Ham was a three-year-old chimpanzee who became the first hominid in space on January 31, 1961. He flew a 16.5-minute suborbital flight, reaching 157 miles in altitude, and successfully performed trained tasks in microgravity. Despite landing off-course, Ham survived with only a bruised nose, proving humans could work in space. His capsule experienced a 15-mile-per-hour speed increase and an altitude 15 miles higher than planned, which caused him to endure high-G forces upon reentry. Despite the stress and 6.5 minutes of weightlessness, Ham performed his tasks with only a 1-second delay compared to his Earth training, proving that motor functions could be maintained in space.