Yup, I would...

I have only two 'close encounters' with NASA. I went to Edwards a couple of times to watch the Space Shuttle land. Took my son and he and I got there VERY early, the previous night actually, and got the 'prime' parking spot then slept in the car.

The other encounter I've mentioned before... my uncles used to own Point Sal near Santa Maria and which is just north of Vandenberg. It was a hunting club for us and we got to see MANY takeoffs of various types of rockets while sitting stop the high ridge, best seats in the house.

Before the Challenger disaster they were intending, and in the process of building, a launch pad for the Space Shuttle. They were going to launch the shuttle from Vandenberg but after the Challenger disaster the idea was scrapped.

As a community relations PR thing they invited the adjacent land owners to visit the base one day for a personal tour... my cousin and I went. Fascinating tour... and the 'pad' is as 'tech', or nearly so, as the rocket itself.

Here is an interesting tidbit I learned on the tour... during the launch the pad is flooded with 10's of thousands of gallons of water. Know why? If so.. .you're ahead of me. It has nothing to do with 'heat'.... it's to muffle the 'sound'... without it the sound vibrations would rip the shuttle apart before it cleared the launch pad.

BTW... the airshow is returning to Lemoore this year... the Blue Angels will perform. I will DEFINITELY BE THERE. Another BTW... Lemoore's fighter jets have been very active over my house of late. At least once a week and sometimes twice. I had a yard crew doing some work for me recently and they flew over in one of their dogfights while the crew was working... scared the hell out of them.