45th Annual JSC Chili Cookoff - April 26, 2025
Able to attend the 45th Annual Chili Cookoff & my 10th in the last 20 years
Entry fee went from $13 in 2023 to $25 today! Thanks Joe!
Outpost Tavern Memorial welcomes chili judges along w/trophies to award
I voted for Raptor Chili in 2022!
1st to 6th place for Chili and 1st to 3rd place for Showmanship trophies
Photo the Chili Team names & locations, yet illegible; Thanks iPhone!
Entering the gauntlet; Gentlemen, start your intestines!
First up to bat, #1 Metecs . . . not bad, good chili to start with
#2 Phil's Phamous was phelicitous to my particular palate
#3 Buffa Low Orbit Chili burned up on reentry
#4 CrankY Britches Cook Team's offering trespassed to my underwear
#5 Chester' Chili School offered Cheetos w/their chili . . . too dangerous
This chili was pretty good even with out adding Cheetos!
Carnival Cruisers return in time for the Chili Cookoff
The #6 HOT Robot Chill-LEE was not very attractive to me
#7 Greenhorn was aptly named, more experience in chili making needed
#8 Star Trec Chili made my transporter malfunction!
#9 Red Zone Chili missed the field goal on 4th and 9
#10 Death, Taxes and Diarrhea is more like it
#11 Office of Spice and Chili Assurance need more spice & less salt
Perpetual winner #12 Up the Creek Gang were surprising bland this year
#13 Chili Boys served good chili & offered dad a shady spot to sit
#14 Rum Runners' añejo chili wasn't bad at all
#15 Pyro Pepper and Paws should skip the varmint & stick to beef
#16 Diver Down Chili almost gave me the bends
One of several Lite Bunch #17 chili booths needing a darker beer additive
The Carnival Cruise gang has already had a long day and depart at this time
I continue w/past winner #18 Pissed Cows who also recommend Chick-fil-A
Another Lite Bunch #19 chili was better with the Yuengling additive
3rd Lite Bunch #20 did provide fritos & cheese to mask the average offering
4th & final Lite Bunch #21 should consider Shiner for a sponsor next year
Mad Cow Chili was out of chili so either too good or cows too mad
#22 Chili With Attitude had an undesired gravity gradient
#23 Gas Generator Chili earned my people's choice vote today!
#24 Twin Peaks Chili had better service than product, unlike the restaurant
It is a great day to be at #25 Chili Operation Directorate
#26 Backup Flight Software or British Fuchsia Society was undefinable
#27 Byte the Heat did not make up with flavor what was lacking in heat
#28 Frisky Peppers used failed chili attempts for Artemis rocket fuel
I showed my respect for #29 House Achilis by spitting on the ground
I dumped my #30 Airbus Chili cargo like an Airbus A320
#31 ARESistable Chili was almost alluring
#32 Bare Bone Chili was unfortunate to be by Airbus, mouth still recovering
#33 Chili tu Madre won last year's cookoff, it was good this year
#34 Wild Cat Chili was not quite domesticated
#35 Chili Under the Influence (CUI) received a No Cash Bail
#36 Spartan Chili was lacking in the luxury of flavor & taste
Leo and Virginia missed out on a great opportunity here
#37 Off Kilter Cookers won in decorations if not chili!
#38 Cross Bones Chili was inspired by Mr. Yuk of Poison Control
#39 Outlaws Trash Can Chili weren't bad but I was reaching my end
#40 Netflix & Chili was the last I tasted, surviving the gauntlet
Beer Station at the start/stop of both ends of chili gauntlet trail
Aircraft Operations was all out of chili so no bueno for caca
Stumble to the pavillion and check out the cornhole competition
Capture my tasting cup before it finds the trash can
Servers excited about serving Shiner & Yuengling products this year
Take a panarama of the chili booths from the pavillion before departing
Many have been here since before 8am, I arrived at 11am and leaving at 2pm
Drank too much 35 years ago, today I'm more duressed by 40 different chilis
But I ran the gauntlet and came out standing, for now
People's Choice voting via QR Code and I submit mine out of 40 tasted
The judges are busily tasting as I make my way back to the tram stop
Perhaps Shiner Beer added $5 more to the entry fee, it was worth it!
It was Back to Future wandering the grounds of JSC again
Decided to extend it awhile longer and stopped to tour the Saturn V rocket
It is always a joy to drop by and see this mighty machine
The first stage is from the cancelled Apollo 19 mission; Thanks Nixon
Love to see the exposed stack of the second stage rocket
This Saturn V stack is made up of all components certified for flight, apparently not true for the Saturn V at KSC or MSFC
The gap between the 2nd & 3rd stage, that which sent Apollo to the moon
Gap between the 3rd stage and Command/Service Module & Lunar Lander
The Saturn V at KSC has non-operational stages and MSFC displays a vibration test prototype in their stack
No Lunar Module on display here with the Saturn V, Space Center Houston's LTA-8 is a vacuum chamber test item
Top of the Saturn V stack with the Launch Escape System attached
Largest rocket at the time launched into space from 1967 to 1973
Statue to the Apollo 13 Astronauts safe return home from space
Make our way back down the other side of the stack to the exit
The place where the Lunar Module was stored for moon landings
Single J-2 engine propelled Stage 3 into earth orbit & toward the moon
Five J-2 engines pushed the 2nd Stage into the upper earth atmosphere
Huge Stage 1 needed 9 secs of thrust to lift the 3,100 ton vehicle off the pad
NASA's new Space Launch System rocket uses Shuttle SRBs & RS-25 engines to deliver 10% more power than the Saturn V
Saturn V's five 1st stage F-1 engines deliver 7.5 million pounds-force and burn out after 2 and a half minutes
Why am I suddenly thinking of MTV . . .
Very wise to put a building over the Saturn V stack to keep it pretty
Mercury Redstone (plus F-1 & J-2 engines) just outside are envious
Little Joe II Launch Escape tester also in need of some TLC