A Stop at the Nasa Infinity Science Center

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(Edited)

An Unexpected Find in Mississippi

While on one of our long road trips we used to take in the pre-Covid days, we came across this little gem off the side of the highway. I posted about this trip a few years back, but it only got like 5 views so I thought it was worth re-posting with a bit more context.

We in the middle of driving from Florida to Los Angeles when we reached a point that we just had to stop. With no rest area in site, we noticed a sign for the Infinity Science Center.

Neither of us had heard of it before, so we thought perhaps it was a great place to stop. Besides, I don't know how many other interesting places that we would pass by driving through rural Mississippi.

This thing is huge!

It's crazy to me all of the intricate cables and conduits that are required to make these things work. I always think about this when I am thousands of feet in the air in a plane. I just like to make things feel a bit more precarious, I suppose. It seems like there is a delicate layer of technology between me and certain death!

Then entrance to the center

Sadly, we were so tired and rushed that we really didn't have the time nor energy to tour the inside, but there were quite a few interesting items on display outside.

There were a lot of tour buses coming and going. They were generally filled with elderly folks. I don't know where they were coming from exactly, but there were quite a few of them! I get the feeling that they were a group arriving at different times.

A *Tao Buoy*.

My eyes were almost completely dysfunctional after the long drive, so I couldn't bring myself to read most of the plaques attached to the many interesting objects outside.

H-1 Rocket Engine

To me, some of these things look like something that came out of a steam punk mad scientist lab. How of trial and error went into making all of this stuff work? Being born in Dayton, Ohio it was kind of beaten into us the wonders and genius of human flight. Well, it isn't a surprise once you know that Dayton among other things is the birthplace of the Wright Brothers and aviation.

Rear view of the F-1 Rocket Engine

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There were quite a few rocket engines on display when we visited. I kind of wish that we had gone inside, as I imagine there was a lot more to see.

Close of view of the F-1 Rocket Engine

Can you imagine mounting one of these bad boys into your old Caddy? I bet you could break some land speed records... Well, your corpse would at least. That would not be a pretty sight at all.

Sidewalk to the entrance

Other than the tour buses, there was no one here at all. In fact, when we first arrived we assumed that the place was closed. I get a feeling that we arrived at a kind of random time. The area was very well kept and clean, even though it looked deserted.

Amanda looks tiny!

With Amanda standing next to the rocket you can see the scale of it. I'd hate to be anywhere near this thing once it starts spewing out fire. The amount of fuel that these things burn is just incredible!

It will be amazing once we can find more efficient ways to get people and things into space. But for now, what a marvel of technology!

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We noticed this bus pull up while we were walking around. This wasn't like the other tour buses that we saw, as this one was branded with the company logo. There must be a central place where they pick people up and bring them here, or else there are more Nasa places nearby that it takes them too. We really had no idea since we were just driving through the state.

Wow, I forgot about that belly I had put on back then.

So that was a fun little stop. Completely unexpected and mostly just for a rest but actually quite interesting. I think we must have been there for about 45 minutes. This might be a worthwhile place to check out if you are ever passing through Pearlington, Mississippi for whatever reason.

If you've been inside before, please leave a comment and tell me about it!



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19 comments
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It looks like this post contains a link that does not use a secure protocol: http://www.visitinfinity.com/.
HTTP is in use instead of HTTPS and no protocol redirection is in place.
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Good looking out! I added the 's' to the link.

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No pude disfrutar las fotografías debido al formato en el que están, pero si todo tiene que ver con la NASA es fenomenal ese paseo.

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(Edited)

Que raro, son puros Jpegs. No hice nada especial con el formato! Quien sabe.

Pues si, a mi tambien me interesa todo que ver con la NASA. La tecnologia es increible!

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So this are some big machines here, one of the machine look like a camera lens, smile 😊 am sure you enjoy your day @nuthman

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He rocket 🚀 engine was so massive and huge what a lovely experience for you dear friend @nuthman

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What a cool place! I agree with you about the engines, how anyone keeps track of all the wires and conduit is amazing. Maybe you will have to make your way back there one day and check out the inside. I wonder if that rocket is still considered the most powerful with all of the SpaceX stuff that has been developed lately.

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We'll probably stop there again the next time we're driving that same route. I'd like to have a look inside!

Yeah, Spacex has some amazing stuff going on. I used to like walking distance from their factory in Hawthorne, but I moved down to San Pedro which is a few miles south. My neighbor here 2 doors down works there and loves it. I don't think I could handle the stress though. Elon is a bit... much. haha

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Yeah, he can be kind of mercurial! That is very cool though!

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It looks great,such a wonderful place to be, I'll like to visit such place to see this...have fun and stay safe

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That is a awesome picture off a rocket engine. I never realized how much it resembles a jet turbine engine until I saw your pictures. A trip from Florida to Los Angles sounds really fun. I been fearful of the virus so haven't even tried imagining traveling that much. But man its been a wish for me too to go from east coast to west coast. Thanks for sharing.

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Awesome post - great to see you again with your interesting stories! How is your son?

reblogged and tweeted:

https://twitter.com/ArtOfTheMystic/status/1467182970519887875?s=20

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Hey Otto! Thanks for the reblog. Little Ricky is doing great. He still screams a lot, but he is finally starting to become a little bit more independent. I am looking forward to the day that he can play on his own for hours at a time. I know that is dreaming far ahead, but I am so tired. I am really loving being with him though. He is such a smart, sweet little guy. (When he's not having a meltdown)

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