After a long day of flying, I arrived anxiously at the Orlando Airport. Greeted by Linda Conrad and a fellow ambassador, Stephanie, we set off to our hotel on the scenic highway. I was clued in to the plans we had for the trip, including an interview with Dawn Riley Sunday morning. After creating questions to ask her, a shopping trip at RonJons, and a quick swim, I was ready for bed because a long day awaited.

First thing Sunday morning, we got the chance to interview Dawn Riley, the first female captain of an American cup sailing team who will also be at the launch. A group from Goddard was also there to ask her some questions. After that, we all headed out to the Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Center. There, we met Terri Hudkins, a woman who has a large part in the organization of the events we will be participating in on launch day.

Next, we participated in an amazing tour of the Space Center. It was a bus tour which took us to some really incredible sights. First, we got to see a great view of the launch pad 39B where the shuttle was waiting for launch. Next, after learning about the Apollo missions, we got to see the real Saturn V. It was such a huge piece of machinery! In that room, I also got to touch a piece of the moon. Our last stop was the sight where the parts of the International Space Station was being crafted. I think my favorite part of the tour was when we got to see a simulation of the take-off of the Apollo 8 craft and then view the experience when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in Apollo 11's Eagle. I was really impressed by all the work that went into the whole process. The whole tour really made me appreciate the kind of work that goes into a successful mission. Most importantly, I think, was that I learned that there are so many people who go unrecognized in each shuttle mission, and each of these people play extremely important roles even if they don't get much credit. It was an extremely exiting day, and I can only wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us!