Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren vogelbaumb Here. Astronauts are driven, disciplined,
Speaker 1: physically fit, and trained to solve complex problems in high
Speaker 1: stakes situations. But of course sometimes they just want to
Speaker 1: get away from it all, from the press, the physicians,
Speaker 1: and the rigors of flight prep. You've got to make
Speaker 1: time to sharpen the saw. But where on Earth can
Speaker 1: these people find a little seclusion. Well, since nineteen NASA's
Speaker 1: kept a bungalow on the East Florida Coast closed to
Speaker 1: the general public. It's been a welcome retreat for generations
Speaker 1: of astronauts. Barbecues and bottle signings are cherished pastimes at
Speaker 1: the hideaway, so are fond farewells. Historically, this was the
Speaker 1: last place where many space bound crews got to hang
Speaker 1: out with their families before launch. Here's the story of
Speaker 1: the Kennedy Space Center, Beach House and Conference Center, or
Speaker 1: the beach House for short, ORDA and NASA go a
Speaker 1: long way back. In nineteen sixty one, it was decided
Speaker 1: that the agency would build a new launch center on
Speaker 1: Florida's Merritt Island, which is technically a peninsula. By the way,
Speaker 1: other sites were considered, including New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range,
Speaker 1: where the first atomic bomb had been set off sixteen
Speaker 1: years prior. Proximity to the Atlantic Ocean gave Merritt Island
Speaker 1: a strategic advantage. Rockets launched there could streak across the
Speaker 1: ocean without disturbing populated areas. Latitude was another plus. Florida
Speaker 1: is reasonably close to the equator, where Earth's rotation speed
Speaker 1: is at its fastest. But when you set off a
Speaker 1: rocket in the Sunshine State, the vessel can save fuel
Speaker 1: by capitalizing on this principle. It's why Merritt Island is
Speaker 1: now the home of the Kennedy Space Center Spaceport. NASA
Speaker 1: wasn't the first group to take an interest in this region, however.
Speaker 1: The U. S Military had been testing missiles on nearby
Speaker 1: Cape Canaveral since ninety nine, and then came the snowbirds.
Speaker 1: Vacation homes and other seaside properties sprouted like days in
Speaker 1: the post war economy. One piece of real estate was
Speaker 1: a two story beach house constructed in nineteen sixty two. Really,
Speaker 1: it was just another wood framed building in the Neptune
Speaker 1: Beach subdivision. At first, NASA partnered up with the Army
Speaker 1: Corps of Engineers to buy the entire development in nineteen
Speaker 1: sixty three forty five hundred dollars, which is a little
Speaker 1: more than two hundred and sixty six thousand, eight hundred
Speaker 1: dollars in today's money. Neighboring houses and a gas station
Speaker 1: were cleared away, but this Plain Jane Cottage escaped. The
Speaker 1: wrecking Ball situated on government owned land. The beach house
Speaker 1: is well off the beaten path. In his two thousand
Speaker 1: six memoir, astronaut Richard Mike Mullaine said the place was
Speaker 1: as isolated as Mars. Originally called the Astronaut Training and
Speaker 1: Rehabilitation Building, it started out as a home away from home,
Speaker 1: a place where crew members could get some shut eye
Speaker 1: on overnight stays. As the decades passed, the bungalow evolved
Speaker 1: into more of a hangout spot astronauts could drop by
Speaker 1: individually or as a crew. Many also chose to take
Speaker 1: their spouses and families over by design, though this isn't
Speaker 1: the easiest spot to access space. Shuttle veteran Robert Springer,
Speaker 1: who flew missions in recalled that he and his crewmates
Speaker 1: used to borrow the key from a NASSAS staff member.
Speaker 1: The spontaneous visits were not encouraged, though a one day
Speaker 1: payload specialist, Samuel Durance, waltzed over with some colleagues but
Speaker 1: forgot to give the administrators any advanced notice. On their
Speaker 1: way back, the group was met by a swat team,
Speaker 1: and guests had to play by the house rules. For example,
Speaker 1: young children were barred from the premises during astronaut quarantine periods.
Speaker 1: The Beach House has entertained its share of politicians and diplomats,
Speaker 1: and to this day it remains an active meeting place
Speaker 1: for government organizations. But among space history buffs, this mid
Speaker 1: century relic is remembered first and foremost as an explorer's
Speaker 1: way station, filled with the stories of its tenants. There
Speaker 1: was the time that Springer and a crewmate went for
Speaker 1: a dip in the ocean, only to be met by
Speaker 1: a helicopter full of frantically waving airmen. It turned out
Speaker 1: the swimmers had gotten a little too close to an
Speaker 1: enormous gang of sharks. Unaware of the danger and oblivious
Speaker 1: to the warning, the astronauts waved back. Don't worry, everything
Speaker 1: turned out fine. Pre launch barbecues are traditional. Shortly before
Speaker 1: space crew takes off, it's customary for them to gather
Speaker 1: with family members at the cottage for constables and camaraderie.
Speaker 1: Sometimes the guests get dinner and a show. Former Kennedy
Speaker 1: Space Center Deputy Director James A. Gene Thomas witnessed a
Speaker 1: cosplay prank at one of these beach parties. The mission
Speaker 1: being toasted that day was set to include Franklin's story Musgrave,
Speaker 1: a legendary astronaut who happened to be bald just for kicks.
Speaker 1: The rest of his crew decided to impersonate Musgrave at
Speaker 1: this barbecue, so everyone showed up with rubber l text
Speaker 1: sheets on their heads and name tags that read HI,
Speaker 1: I'm story. Another long standing tradition at the beach house
Speaker 1: involves leaving your mark. The outgoing crew will sign a
Speaker 1: wine bottle before they blast off. Official mission logos usually
Speaker 1: adorn these mementos. By now, a few decades worth of
Speaker 1: space flights have been chronicled on bottlenecks and wine labels,
Speaker 1: now kept in a cabinet display. In Hurricane Matthew did
Speaker 1: a number on the bungalow, necessitating massive repairs inside and out.
Speaker 1: Once the kitchens, bathrooms, multiple walls, and most of the
Speaker 1: second floor had been overhauled. The cottage reopened on July.
Speaker 1: We reached out to the Kennedy Space Center, which informed
Speaker 1: us that the beach House is not currently being used
Speaker 1: by any astronaut cruise, but who knows, maybe that'll change
Speaker 1: in the near future. NASA does want to quote put
Speaker 1: the first woman and next man on the Moon by
Speaker 1: the year four. No doubt future occupants will feel mixed
Speaker 1: emotions at the old beach House. Most astronauts do along
Speaker 1: with their loved ones. Donna Mlaine, Mike's wife, said in
Speaker 1: interview with NASA, as a spouse, you know you're coming
Speaker 1: out here to say goodbye, and you don't know if
Speaker 1: it's the last time yet. By many accounts, fear intermingles
Speaker 1: with excitement from the bungalow. Visitors have gotten some spectacular
Speaker 1: views of eager rockets, ships ready for launch gleaming from
Speaker 1: the nearby Space Center. Today's episode was written by Mark
Speaker 1: Mancini and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on listen
Speaker 1: lots of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.
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