Visiting USA

I wanted to explore the country, experience different cultures, meet people and spend time in nature. I also visited Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, and it was amazing to experience both. Along the way, I travelled through 12 states in the USA. The scale of the cities was another part of the experience, and coming back to Brussels made that contrast even more noticeable.

I was especially interested in places like Starbase and San Francisco, where there’s so much technology development and entrepreneurial spirit. I visited companies and talked with employees whenever I could. Some gave me a factory tour or sent me away with merch.

I also spent a lot of time in aerospace museums, learning about the history and having long conversations about Apollo and aerospace technology. I talked about what I’m building with AeroVia too.

I really appreciated the optimism of the people I surrounded myself with. They were involved in technology, interested in the future and excited about building things. That was especially clear around Starbase and San Francisco, and it made me realise that, long term, I’d like to live in the USA.

I planned the whole trip with AI. I gave it my preferences and kept steering it as I went. It helped me work out routes, companies to visit, flights, transport, accommodation and things to see. The only things I’d fixed in advance were my flights there and back. Everything in between developed along the way.

That took a lot of the planning burden off me. I spent less time worrying about where I’d stay or how to get somewhere, and more time having experiences and talking to people. My days were packed, but I still felt free to change plans and follow whatever interested me.

Intrepid Museum

New York stops

Manhattan from the Empire State Building

Cradle of Aviation

Watching launches in Florida

Watching rockets lift off from the Space Coast was one of the reasons I wanted to make this trip.

Falcon 9 · Starlink 10-50

Atlas V · Amazon Leo 8 (LA-08)

Blue Origin

Kennedy Space Center

The bus tour, Apollo/Saturn V Center, Atlantis and the scale of the hardware in person at Kennedy Space Center.

LC-39A: Falcon launch facilities and Starship launch tower

Embry-Riddle, Daytona

I visited the Embry-Riddle campus in Daytona, with its workshop and observatory, and stopped by the Daytona International Speedway exterior.

Space Center Houston

Training facility at Johnson Space Center

Starbase

I had an amazing time at Starbase. Talking to SpaceX engineers, spending time at the Hopper House and meeting so many people made it an experience that changed me. Seeing the ships and launch site I’d followed online for years in person was incredibly inspiring.