It's Thursday, and BOY were we busy
today. First things, getting packed and getting the bus loaded.
This is what you'd see if you fell into the black hole of our media
center. This is mission control for the band's website while on
tour. We've got wireless, wired, and modem if necessary, just to
make sure you get your updates on time. It doesn't always work,
but we try :)
Then it was off to Space Center Houston, NASA, only to find it infested
with Jackalopes :)
But then we found NASA stuff, for those of you not old enough, this was
called the LEM, or Lunar Excursion Module, during the Apollo Manned
Moon Missions, this little craft was what got our astronauts down onto
the moon.
Haven't been back to the Moon, and next month NASA is supposed to be
launching our next Shuttle mission, here is the cockpit of the orbiter
mock up at the museum.
The International Space Station will be playing an increasing role in
Space Exploration in the future.
Sopwith Camel (and Snoopy). I mean Really! Snoopy has done
it all!
MMU, that's a manned maneuvering unit, kinda like a convertible in
space!
SBC, that's Scout Band Concert NASA style!
After lunch, we took a tram ride around the Space Center.
This is the actual Mission Control room that factored so heavily in the
Space Program from the late 60's through the 70's. If you look
carefully, you'll see a little green sign on top of one of the
consoles, this is where Gene Kranz ran things as Flight Director!
Even the outsides of the buildings (this is Mission Control) are
special!
Inside one of the training buildings are simulators of all of the
current mission apparatus needed by the astronauts to make sure they
know what to do when they get into space.
Sadly, we have not gone into space without loss, many have died to get
us there. As a tribute NASA has planted a memorial oak grove at
the Space Center to honor each astronaut that has died.
In a special area they call the Rocket Garden there are actual rockets
and capsules that were recovered or not used during their time in the
space program. We didn't have time to go in, but for those old
enough, on the left is a Mercury mission rocket and on the left is an
Apollo mission setup (no rocket, the Saturn V used would be HUGE!)
After Houston, it was time to head to our first scout camp concert, at
Camp Karankawa they fed us first.
Without this guy, we wouldn't be here! Hooray for Mr. Bill!
As always we try to con( get ) a few of the local scouts to come sit
with us as we play. I don't have Howard's list, but I'll give
credit as soon as I can on these. First at bat was a trombone
player.
Then a couple of trumpet players.
The concert started off pretty well.
Then we got them DANCING!
And DANCING!
And Dancing.....
And Dancing!!!!!!
But as with all good things, they have to end. And here you'll
see why......DARK!
It got so confusing that Margaret had to play french horn through her
nose :) and
there just comes a time when you can't read the music, here you'll see
Scotty using Margaret's hair to hold his light on his music!
And that should do it for today.....whew, that's a lot, and should be
enough!
See you tomorrow!