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Here on the Shuttle Launch Experience, the US$60-M newest facility attraction at the
Kennedy Space Center, visitors
get strapped in to the sights, sounds and sensations of a real space
shuttle launch.
The simulation of the "actual" launch experience begins as passengers enter
the Shuttle Launch Simulation Facility, a looming six-story structure architecturally consistent with Space
Shuttle facilities at Kennedy Space Center.
As crew members ascend along the gantry, veteran shuttle astronauts share testimonials, setting the stage
for the experience to come.
Entering the heart of Space Shuttle operations for the pre-launch briefing, crew members are guided by
veteran Space Shuttle Commander Charlie Bolden as he takes them step-by-step through the shuttle launch sequence. Brilliant
video screens spring to life on shuttle-like robotic arms. Anxious moments arise as dramatic atmospheric, sound, and lighting effects
dramatize the moments prior to Lift Off. . . !
Right behind me, standing as an imposing backdrop, is the
6-story Shuttle Launch Simulation Facility edifice where I just had the simulated "ride" of my life to the
edge of space. . . . and, reality.
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