Shuttle Launch

[Kwajdiver]

Anyone planning on going to the Shuttle Launch June 13th.  I just made reservation at Jetty Park, Cape Canaveral.  I can watch liftoff from the bus, if I wished.  We're going over Friday, stay for two nights.  Any Florida bus nuts care to join us?

Bill
Tampa Bay

[Airbag]

I vote all future shuttle launches are done in Arizona.

[WEC4104]

I think this launch is roughly 7 am in the morning. I have always wanted to see a night time shuttle launch, and almost did back around 1990.  We were in Orlando, and drove over to the coast to see the launch one evening.   They counted down to within an hour of lift off and then postponed it 24 hours. We went back the following evening, and they counted down to inside of T-minus 10 minutes, and postponed again.   Our flight home was the next day, so we never got to see the launch, a real disappointment.

Hope you have better luck!

[Kwajdiver]

We are going to take the kids over.  They will have a blast at the beach and fishing, will be an A+ if indeed they lift off.  Would love to get a photo of the bus with the Shuttle in the background.

Bill
3-2-1

[NJT 5573]

Bill,

I am jealous. I love the Florida coast.

I'm to established to move down although my trucking business home office is out of Jacksonville. I gotta tell you I caught a night launch some years ago when I was down for Speed Weeks and it was one of the high lights of my life.

At the track I always have the binoculars so I took them down to Cocoa........... I"m still seeing white lights! Should have left them in the scanner bag!

Another year I caught a launch from the grandstands at Daytona, A very special day as well.

Your a lucky guy.

Larry

[Hartley]

The shuttle launches are an amazing sight..

But, Nothing like seeing a Saturn 5 launch from a coastal view at night...

Absolutely shakes you to the bones and a wonder that you never forget..
1973 from Drive-In theatre in New Smyrna Beach Florida... The ground was shaking and I was 40 air miles away...

Dave...

[Kwajdiver]

Dave,

You are right about a Saturn 5.  They did shake your bones.  Watched a Saturn 5 from Cocoa Beach one night.  WOW!  What a sight.

Bill
Tampa Bay

[buswarrior]

You guys are so lucky, me thinks we'll not see anything like the Saturn V lift off again.

Great platform, excellent service record, REAL engineering, where doing the job took priority over taking stuff out..

Watched Walter Cronkite and CBS coverage of the Moon stuff with my mom. She knew its importance, I thought it was neat...

Forever bitten with the bug, I love NASA and my visit to the Cape turned into somewhat of a religious pilgrimage a couple years ago.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Dreamscape]

Bill, We want to see pictures!

That is one sight I would love to see in person, by the time I can afford to get there they will have stopped using the shuttle and just hit a button that says "Beam me up Scottie".

~Paul~

[JackConrad]

My partner & I watched a shuttle launch at 2 AM from the west coast of Florida.  As we were backing our rescue into the station, I looked towards the northeast and the sky was glowing bright red. I grabbed the mike, called dispatch and aked if they had any reports of a large wildfire. About that time the shuttle cleared the tree line and the glow died down.  I called dispatch and told them "Never Mind".   Jack

[paul102a3]

Bill

We are planing to go over on Friday as well. I will be back in St Pete on Wednesday and will call you. If you want some company on the way over maybe we could follow you.

Paul

[Kwajdiver]

Paul, that would be great.  Have you made reservation.  Need to call Jetty Park. Ask if they have room on the water (canal).  That is water only, no power.  They have a dumb station near by.

I plan to pull out of St. Pete at high noon.

Bill

[jackhartjr]

Saw a shuttle take off from West End Bahama's on a dive boat, pretty neat, by that time it is flying more horizontal!
Jack

[niles500]

Over the last 40 years I've seen lots of rockets take off from the Cape in the day, night, close up and as far as the left coast - I also usually hear the sonic boom when they land - the one I'll never forget is traveling to Orlando on I-4 - It was a cool crisp afternoon January 1986, with a very clear sky - we were traveling on a section of I-4 that put Canaveral directly in the center of the windshield - my passenger said "what time was the Challenger launching? I think I see it" - Then at about 40 degrees on the horizon there was a seperation of the launch vehicle and flare outs to both sides - He then said "was that the rocket booster seperation?" and I replied "No, that would be too soon in the flight" and then I noticed that all the vehicles had started to fall - We kept hoping to see a chute deploy, but it wasn't long when the report was isssued on the Radio - Rocket launches from the cape are always exciting (day or night) but since that day I'm always kept mindful of how dangerous it can be -

[Kwajdiver]

Getting the bus ready to roll to Cape Kennedy tomorrow.  Hope to get out of town between 11 and noon.  Pick my brother and kids up on the way, then to the beach for the shuttle launch.   Paul and I are going to try and hook up to ride over together. 

I'll post photos tomorrow.

Bill
Tampa Bay