What a great celebration of America's birthday!!!!!

[Ncbob]

I, like millions of other Americans, am waiting in anticipation at 2:34 EDT on Memorial Day for the launch of "Discovery".  So far everything is going fine....2 minutes and counting.

The final countdown....5-4-3-2-1...Ignition....Liftoff!  Liftoff of Discovery!  God!  It's beautiful!  Into a clear blue sky with a plume miles behind it.  Throttle-up call...Go at Throttle up.  All rockets going...two from the solid rocket booster and 3 from the shuttle.

Waiting for seperation....seperation complete.  Waiting for main engine cutoff.  2:35 into flight...3200 MPH.  Consuming 1/2 ton of fuel per second..."Discovery straight as an arrow".  Past point of no return....5000 MPH!  Halfway to orbit  (and the smoke hasn't cleared from Kennedy...5:15 into flight over 7000 MPH...  looking good 6:11 into flight...all 3 engines functioning at full power.....516 Miles downrange everything OK..traveling over 4 miles per second.   Now 14,000 MPG....8:17 all looking good for main engine cutoff.....External tank seperation confirmed...main engine cutoff.....all go for a 13 day mission...

Wow!  Looks like another succesful launch, so far.   I am commenting on the launch for those of you who are enjoying the joys of family and friends and might not be able to see this wonderful exhibition of the power of our great Nation.

Guess I'll always be a kid when it comes to these things and am grateful that the first half of the mission is complete.  Now all we have to do is bring them back!

Bob

[brojcol]

I was a wierd kid.  While other kids my age had Farrah Fawcett up on their wall, I had the space shuttle.  I kept Farrah under the bed

Jimmy

[Hartley]

It still sounds like a war zone around here even today.
Last night there was so much artillary going off that my house shook until way after midnight.
If it exploded, whistled, air burst or showered flares someone was sending it skyward....
And just to think, exploding fireworks are illegal in Florida. that's why the guys at the fire station behind
my house were setting off 4" mortars in the back parking lot huh.....

NASA had the biggest and loudest one of all... Great Show and getting better....

Just imagine what strangers to our land must think.... ( These people are NUTZ )
Just imagine that if aliens were trying to land.... ( Sign in Space:  BEWARE HEADHUNTERS )...