What It Took To Get My Husband Out of His Lazy Boy

I'm a married woman.  You wouldn't know it.  I almost always attend events, activities, go shopping - everything - alone.  My husband is NOT a social being.  He's quite happy to sit in his chair, watch tv or play online poker (when he's not working).  

I continue to ask him if he wants to go places with me.  

I had the opportunity to go on a FAM tour to Hutchinson Kansas last week.  When I asked the hubby if he wanted to go I made to sure to mention that we'd be going to the Cosmosphere.  He immediately said YES I WILL GO.  

There are some very cool things at the Cosmosphere.  The moment you  walk into the door you look and see the SR-71.   That didn't mean much to me on paper. 

 I mean it sounded cool - it was a reconnaisance airplane and it could fly higher and faster and carry cameras to do the job of taking pictures over the Soviet Union.  The Russians tried to bomb it out  of the sky - and it never happened.  I believe it is still classified as the fastest airplane in the world.   It can fly coast to coast in one hour and seven minutes. 

The Cosmosphere actually brought the SR-71 in and then built the building around it!  Pretty amazing.  It was the first thing on the hubby's list to see. 

The Cosmosphere was started in 1962.  In 1976 the board of directors decided to expand and included a museum.  Timing was really everything - NASA was getting rid of artifacts and were looking for a place in the midwest to have a presence.  Hutchinson Kansas was it! The Cosmosphere has the largest loan from the Smithsonian - larger than anywhere in the world. 

They build reproductions of all the space craft and did most of the work for the Apollo 13 movies. 

They also have an astronaut training program and a camp program - for all ages.   That means they had all the toys my hubby was looking for!  The multi axis trainer, F-16 flight simulator, centrifuge, and so much more!  Hubby took a spin in some of the toys and is figuring out how to bring his grandson out for the Elderhostel program for grandparents and grandchildren. 

The Cosmosphere also has one of only 12 domed IMAX theatres in the world.  Their projector number is 12 - they've been doing IMAX for a good long while.  We got a private tour of the projector area and Kevin got to load the film!  Magnificent Desolation was the movie we saw.  I remember when we first walked on the moon - and the joyous amazement all came back to me.