Isaac Visits Cape Canaveral

The view out the front blast door of the blockhouse. The blast door is to the left.


Looking at the Rocket Garden through the blast windows — 45 glass panes pressed together.

I happened to have been at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum when a squall from Tropical Storm Isaac passed through this afternoon.

The museum is located in what was once the blockhouse for Launch Complex 26, where Explorer 1 was launched. Explorer 1 was the first American satellite in space, launched on January 31, 1958.

I can't think of a better place to watch a tropical event pass by. The walls are five feet thick of concrete, with a domed roof eight feet thick.

The blast windows facing each launch pad are 45 glass panes pressed together.

Looking out those windows at the squall, I thought, "Bring on the hurricane!" It's probably one of the safest places around here ... until someone pointed out that the 1950s-era cableways under the building would probably flood and leak water into the blockhouse. So much for that idea.