WEBVTT - What Is NASA's Astronaut Beach House?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff Lauren vogelbaumb Here. Astronauts are driven, disciplined,

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<v Speaker 1>physically fit, and trained to solve complex problems in high

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<v Speaker 1>stakes situations. But of course sometimes they just want to

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<v Speaker 1>get away from it all, from the press, the physicians,

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<v Speaker 1>and the rigors of flight prep. You've got to make

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<v Speaker 1>time to sharpen the saw. But where on Earth can

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<v Speaker 1>these people find a little seclusion. Well, since nineteen NASA's

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<v Speaker 1>kept a bungalow on the East Florida Coast closed to

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<v Speaker 1>the general public. It's been a welcome retreat for generations

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<v Speaker 1>of astronauts. Barbecues and bottle signings are cherished pastimes at

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<v Speaker 1>the hideaway, so are fond farewells. Historically, this was the

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<v Speaker 1>last place where many space bound crews got to hang

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<v Speaker 1>out with their families before launch. Here's the story of

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<v Speaker 1>the Kennedy Space Center, Beach House and Conference Center, or

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<v Speaker 1>the beach House for short, ORDA and NASA go a

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<v Speaker 1>long way back. In nineteen sixty one, it was decided

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<v Speaker 1>that the agency would build a new launch center on

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<v Speaker 1>Florida's Merritt Island, which is technically a peninsula. By the way,

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<v Speaker 1>other sites were considered, including New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range,

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<v Speaker 1>where the first atomic bomb had been set off sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>years prior. Proximity to the Atlantic Ocean gave Merritt Island

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<v Speaker 1>a strategic advantage. Rockets launched there could streak across the

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<v Speaker 1>ocean without disturbing populated areas. Latitude was another plus. Florida

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<v Speaker 1>is reasonably close to the equator, where Earth's rotation speed

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<v Speaker 1>is at its fastest. But when you set off a

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<v Speaker 1>rocket in the Sunshine State, the vessel can save fuel

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<v Speaker 1>by capitalizing on this principle. It's why Merritt Island is

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<v Speaker 1>now the home of the Kennedy Space Center Spaceport. NASA

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't the first group to take an interest in this region, however.

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<v Speaker 1>The U. S Military had been testing missiles on nearby

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<v Speaker 1>Cape Canaveral since ninety nine, and then came the snowbirds.

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<v Speaker 1>Vacation homes and other seaside properties sprouted like days in

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<v Speaker 1>the post war economy. One piece of real estate was

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<v Speaker 1>a two story beach house constructed in nineteen sixty two. Really,

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<v Speaker 1>it was just another wood framed building in the Neptune

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<v Speaker 1>Beach subdivision. At first, NASA partnered up with the Army

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<v Speaker 1>Corps of Engineers to buy the entire development in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty three forty five hundred dollars, which is a little

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<v Speaker 1>more than two hundred and sixty six thousand, eight hundred

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<v Speaker 1>dollars in today's money. Neighboring houses and a gas station

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<v Speaker 1>were cleared away, but this Plain Jane Cottage escaped. The

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<v Speaker 1>wrecking Ball situated on government owned land. The beach house

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<v Speaker 1>is well off the beaten path. In his two thousand

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<v Speaker 1>six memoir, astronaut Richard Mike Mullaine said the place was

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<v Speaker 1>as isolated as Mars. Originally called the Astronaut Training and

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<v Speaker 1>Rehabilitation Building, it started out as a home away from home,

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<v Speaker 1>a place where crew members could get some shut eye

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<v Speaker 1>on overnight stays. As the decades passed, the bungalow evolved

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<v Speaker 1>into more of a hangout spot astronauts could drop by

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<v Speaker 1>individually or as a crew. Many also chose to take

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<v Speaker 1>their spouses and families over by design, though this isn't

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<v Speaker 1>the easiest spot to access space. Shuttle veteran Robert Springer,

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<v Speaker 1>who flew missions in recalled that he and his crewmates

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<v Speaker 1>used to borrow the key from a NASSAS staff member.

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<v Speaker 1>The spontaneous visits were not encouraged, though a one day

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<v Speaker 1>payload specialist, Samuel Durance, waltzed over with some colleagues but

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<v Speaker 1>forgot to give the administrators any advanced notice. On their

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<v Speaker 1>way back, the group was met by a swat team,

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<v Speaker 1>and guests had to play by the house rules. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>young children were barred from the premises during astronaut quarantine periods.

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<v Speaker 1>The Beach House has entertained its share of politicians and diplomats,

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<v Speaker 1>and to this day it remains an active meeting place

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<v Speaker 1>for government organizations. But among space history buffs, this mid

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<v Speaker 1>century relic is remembered first and foremost as an explorer's

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<v Speaker 1>way station, filled with the stories of its tenants. There

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<v Speaker 1>was the time that Springer and a crewmate went for

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<v Speaker 1>a dip in the ocean, only to be met by

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<v Speaker 1>a helicopter full of frantically waving airmen. It turned out

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<v Speaker 1>the swimmers had gotten a little too close to an

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<v Speaker 1>enormous gang of sharks. Unaware of the danger and oblivious

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<v Speaker 1>to the warning, the astronauts waved back. Don't worry, everything

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<v Speaker 1>turned out fine. Pre launch barbecues are traditional. Shortly before

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<v Speaker 1>space crew takes off, it's customary for them to gather

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<v Speaker 1>with family members at the cottage for constables and camaraderie.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes the guests get dinner and a show. Former Kennedy

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<v Speaker 1>Space Center Deputy Director James A. Gene Thomas witnessed a

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<v Speaker 1>cosplay prank at one of these beach parties. The mission

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<v Speaker 1>being toasted that day was set to include Franklin's story Musgrave,

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<v Speaker 1>a legendary astronaut who happened to be bald just for kicks.

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<v Speaker 1>The rest of his crew decided to impersonate Musgrave at

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<v Speaker 1>this barbecue, so everyone showed up with rubber l text

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<v Speaker 1>sheets on their heads and name tags that read HI,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm story. Another long standing tradition at the beach house

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<v Speaker 1>involves leaving your mark. The outgoing crew will sign a

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<v Speaker 1>wine bottle before they blast off. Official mission logos usually

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<v Speaker 1>adorn these mementos. By now, a few decades worth of

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<v Speaker 1>space flights have been chronicled on bottlenecks and wine labels,

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<v Speaker 1>now kept in a cabinet display. In Hurricane Matthew did

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<v Speaker 1>a number on the bungalow, necessitating massive repairs inside and out.

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<v Speaker 1>Once the kitchens, bathrooms, multiple walls, and most of the

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<v Speaker 1>second floor had been overhauled. The cottage reopened on July.

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<v Speaker 1>We reached out to the Kennedy Space Center, which informed

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<v Speaker 1>us that the beach House is not currently being used

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<v Speaker 1>by any astronaut cruise, but who knows, maybe that'll change

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<v Speaker 1>in the near future. NASA does want to quote put

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<v Speaker 1>the first woman and next man on the Moon by

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<v Speaker 1>the year four. No doubt future occupants will feel mixed

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<v Speaker 1>emotions at the old beach House. Most astronauts do along

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<v Speaker 1>with their loved ones. Donna Mlaine, Mike's wife, said in

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<v Speaker 1>interview with NASA, as a spouse, you know you're coming

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<v Speaker 1>out here to say goodbye, and you don't know if

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<v Speaker 1>it's the last time yet. By many accounts, fear intermingles

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<v Speaker 1>with excitement from the bungalow. Visitors have gotten some spectacular

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<v Speaker 1>views of eager rockets, ships ready for launch gleaming from

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<v Speaker 1>the nearby Space Center. Today's episode was written by Mark

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<v Speaker 1>Mancini and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on listen

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.

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