Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Shooting the Moon, Dreaming of Stars

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Photographed By Brandon D Cross, June 24, 2021

1. Shooting the Moon, Dreaming of Stars Marker

Inscription.
America’s newfound enthusiasm for space opened the door for an army of scientific visionaries who had dreamed of this opportunity for generations. It wasn’t just telescopes anymore. It was going there, taking notes, building the immeasurable library of knowledge we’d need to understand this mysterious environment and designing the systems we’d need to make it safe for human exploration.

Pioneer 4 was our first mission to make it to the moon. It was the second, and last, use of the Juno II. This rocket paved the way for 33 unmanned American missions to the moon carried by more powerful rockets.

Rocket Data: Juno II
Height: 76.7 ft (23.4 m)
Diameter: 105 in (2.67 m)
First stage propellants: Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Kerosene
Upper stage propellants: Solid Fuel
Lift-off thrust: 150,000 lbs

[Captions:]
The Juno II rocket poised for launch.

Juno II engineers monitor the rocket during launch on March 4, 1959

Erected by Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration • War, Cold. A significant historical date for this entry is March 4, 1959.

Location.

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28° 31.419′ N, 80° 40.982′ W. Marker is on Merritt Island, Florida, in Brevard County. Marker is at the intersection of Space Commerce Way and NASA Parkway West, on the left when traveling east on Space Commerce Way. The marker stands within the Rocket Garden exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 405 Nasa Pkwy W, Merritt Island FL 32953, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Learning to Phone Home (a few steps from this marker); The Power of Apollo (a few steps from this marker); The Sun Rides a Workhorse (a few steps from this marker); Swords Into Plowshares (a few steps from this marker); Learning to Drive (within shouting distance of this marker); Aiming at the Heavens (within shouting distance of this marker); Chasing the Russian Bear (within shouting distance of this marker); Global Television Arrives (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Merritt Island.

Also see . . .
1. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on July 2, 2021, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

2. Pioneer 4. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on July 3, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed By Brandon D Cross, June 24, 2021

2. Shooting the Moon, Dreaming of Stars Marker

Juno II Rocket image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brandon D Cross, June 24, 2021

3. Juno II Rocket

Pioneer 4 spacecraft image. Click for full size.

Photographed By National Air and Space Museum

4. Pioneer 4 spacecraft

Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2021, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 130 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 2, 2021, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.