The Space Program lives at Alameda Naval Base

Change is inevitable and as Alameda Point starts to get developed I am saddened that experiences that I'm about to write about will not be there for future generations. 


Last week I had both boys home because there was a break in summer pre-school sessions. As I sat in my living room watching them start to go a little nutty I ran through the usual suspects of what to do. Academy of Science? No. Just went last week. Zoo? Was there last Sunday. Hiking? No. I'm not carrying the 2 1/2 year old back. This went on in my head for about 10 minutes. It stays in my head because I have learned that whatever I blurt out the kids will yell "Yeah!" and there's no deviating. But I wanted to do something different. I wanted to have more fun than usual, I wanted to have a new experience with the boys. I remembered that I saw something crazy the last time I was at Michael's Arts and Crafts store and I casually said "Who wants to build rockets?" My 4 year old son looked at me with the expression of "Arnold" that read "What you talking bout dad". I asked him again. Do you want to build a rocket and launch it into space? He grinned and looked at his brother and told him "put your shoes on now we are going to build a rocket!"
I was excited. We all were on a mission. Especially me because I have never built one before and I had to come through knowing that it would be an epic melt down if I didn't deliver or if they didn't work. 
After going to Michael's and staring at the wall of rockets I had to ask someone for help. Some kits come pre assembled (great) but you still need a launcher, ignition pieces, rocket pack, a stand, etc. So already, my mission was in a critical state. Turned out that I wasn't that crazy because the stuff I needed or couldn't find, they didn't sell separately. Now what was I going to do? "Here son, here's a rocket... throw it in the air as hard as you can". Not good. But I was committed and I ended up buying four separate boxes of rockets. All had different things I needed, the propulsion packs, packing (which is a fancy word for 1 ply toilet paper), etc.  But pre launch checks were not over. I was checking out and the clerk (who was kind of geeky looking and obviously experienced in space travel) asks me "Do you have batteries?”... Negative. Major Dad does not have batteries. Saved!
We check out and head over to Alameda Naval Base and search for the perfect launch spot which happened to be behind the Bladium on a large parcel where Artemis is berthed. 

We get our gear and the boys yell out "Are we ready". Negative son. Apparently the rocket manufacturers definition of fully assembled differs from mine. So we begin and after about an hour we are ready for launch. Mind you my boys are 4 and 2 1/2, the lesson is more about critical thinking than the actual rocket so this was no small fete for me and the boys.

3, 2, 1.. I about crap my pants. To be honest the words that I yelled out were "HOLY SHIT!" I have never built or launched a rocket in my life and after the 2 hour pre-launch mission tribulations to see my son press the launch button and it work in the manner it did, that was a pure moment for me and the words were a combination of disbelief and a straight adrenaline rush to my core. It was also a pure moment of joy for my kids. They had accomplished their goal. Not only did the build their rockets but the rockets worked and I could see the sense of pride they had as my two year old went running down the base yelling "My turn. My turn...."

However great that was what I found to be a truly special moment for me was that I learned we were there a couple of days before Neil Armstrong's birthday and August also happens to be the month he died :-/ I know I'm reading into this waaay to much but seriously we were there 2 days before his birthday, 2 weeks after the 44th anniversary of the moon landing and in the backdrop of our launch was the USS Hornet; the ship that recovered the astronauts. All of this on a spur of the moment idea because I wanted to have a new experience with my sons. And maybe, just maybe, Neil Amstrong, a Father of two sons, was channeling me because his birthday wish was to see a dad take his sons out, build some rockets and see the pure excitement of science and engineering in action. I know, I know, it's silly but damn it, it was so serendipitous! 

That said I hope we got close enough to touch him because he definitely touched me with an experience that I will never forget in an area that will soon be forgotten. 

Alameda Naval Base will be developed and I just hope that before that happens a few more families use it for what it was intended. Unforgettable epic family moments. 

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