Return to Justin's Home Page
This page hosted by
Note: This is a work in progress. Please check again, and perhaps I will have more done.
Latest Update: September, 1999
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project:
The Bird Watcher's Park
I had visited the location on earlier trips to the space center. The location is in Titusville, FL, on the shore of the Indian River. If you are in this park facing east, you look directly at the launch pads built for the Apollo program.
It was our first night in the area, and there were no hotel rooms we could find. It was a night in the car, with visits to Howard-Johnsons for food. Nearby was the park, kind of a narrow strip on the shore of the Indian River. Looking over the water we could see the launch pad for ASTP, fully illuminated with bright white flood lights. I photographed it, the flood lights seemed to point upwards towards the heavens. This was no ordinary sight. It had all the appearances of something filling one with reverence; the event had deep significance.
As dawn neared, the flood lights seemed to dim, while the water of the Indian River seemed to become alive. Birds, fish, activity. In one moment, it all seemed so connected, the triumph of human spirit creating this, the connection to nature and the earth, the feeling that great things are to happen; that earth-bound foes will travel to orbit to connect and work together. I will never forget these moments.
It has been a long time since ASTP. From the map, it looks like the area may have changed. Can anyone tell me what became of the Birdwatcher's Park?
Return Justin's Home Page