Upon speaking with Jimmie Loocke at Spacefest IX, I soon realized the significance of his AGC. The computer is in such good condition that after some maintenance, it could theoretically be turned on for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 next July.

You are the Milky Way, but the Milky Way isn't entirely you.

At Spacefest, you briefly become part of this community that did these extraordinary things. You learn that they are people too, not much different from yourself. Yet, that makes them even more extraordinary somehow.

Being present while true experts in spaceflight share their insight and experience is a privilege that the public at large, unfortunately, does not have. Spacefest is the best place for that interaction to happen.

The conversation I had with Al is, in itself, a great example of what he was like. Though we only spoke briefly, he took all the nervousness out of the interaction, making me feel entirely at ease. He was clearly interested in what I had to say.

Just 3 miles (4.8km) away, the vehicle appeared BIG. The explosion blowing out of the engines was nearly as bright as the sun, giving my eyes afterimage spots. Five Million lbf (22.8 MN) of sound, at a low thrust/weight ratio, hit us in our chests at the Turning Basin.

So I drive out to SR-401, the south entrance to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, to have a vigil on this magical night, alone with the Falcon Heavy across the water.

Growing up, the Shuttle was part of our culture. By dismissing the subjects of those experiences, the credibility and honor of a whole generation of spaceflight fly out the airlock, and young people are turned off the idea of space exploration from the sheer jadedness. They will internalize the belief that the 30-year long Shuttle program was a waste of time.

At KSC's Space Station Processing Facility and Life Sciences lab, Massa and her colleagues work on the Veggie program, one of the first experiments with the intended outcome of edible crops grown in the freefall of orbit.

President Kennedy's dream for the the world - for humanity - is timeless, intertwining with human nature itself.

There is no doubt that Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station directly and fundamentally contributed to the greatest adventure we have ever taken. However, when I toured CCAFS a fortnight ago, a strong imagination was needed to see this place as it once was.

The bus came, we got on, and left the Visitor’s Complex. However, instead of exiting NASA Parkway and heading towards the VAB like usual, we went straight-on to the Causeway connecting KSC and the Cape.

Lunar Tribute is no run-of-the-mill Apollo film. Most documentaries have a broad scope, giving context for the space race, and then presenting an overview of the missions from multiple people who were involved. Right from the get go, this film had a different structure.