We Have Liftoff!

Never having seen a Shuttle launch before and not knowing what kind of crowds there might be, we felt it best to leave very early in the morning for the 11:38am liftoff. So about 6:30am we headed out in the car, picked up some ice for the cooler and pastries on the way, and backed our Saturn into a perfect location a little after 7. Many people were already there, but there was plenty of room to pull out our table, lawn chairs, and patio umbrella. About 20 yards from us were a couple employees of the KOA and their wives fishing along the Indian River as were several others, which made for interesting conversation. In hindsight we probably could have shown up a half hour before the launch, parked behind someone, and watched the launch from almost the same spot. But then again we would have missed out on a glorious sunrise and some passing dolphins and manatees. I guess we would describe the 4-1/2 hours leading up to the launch as similar to being at a college football game and tailgating. Of course, this would be without the liquor! We met and talked with a number of different people, not only from different parts of the country but different parts of the world. Some had seen launches before, but it seemed like most were just like us, seeing their first launch. Because of what was going on around us, the time flew by.

Our location was approximately 11 miles from the actual launchpad. Since 9/11 the opportunity to see launches from a closer location are limited. As a matter of fact, only one viewing site is closer (at 4 miles from the launchpad) but that area is reserved for family of the astronauts and NASA VIPs. At about 11am we picked up a live feed from the Control Center at Kennedy Space Center on our portable radio. We listened as each discipline reported a "go" for launch. And then the Mission Commander announced "We are go for launch." The last 10 minutes seem like a blur while following developments on the radio, and all around us counted down the final 10 seconds and stood in awe as Discovery roared into the sky. We have a few pictures but really wanted to enjoy the moment and not be so worried about capturing it on film.
STS-120 (Discovery) is to deliver the Harmony module, christened after a school contest, that will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules. It has additional life support equipment that will allow the Space Station to expand out beyond a three-person crew. The STS-120 is the 23rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station with 12 more launches scheduled to complete the Station. At that point the Shuttles will be retired and replaced with new launch vehicles, Ares and Orion, already under development. NASA will return astronauts to the moon by 2020, using the Ares and Orion spacecraft and will set up a lunar outpost – possibly near a south pole site called Shackleton Crater – where they’ll conduct scientific research, as well as test technologies and techniques for possible exploration of Mars and other destinations.

We have seen the Shuttle land at Edwards Air Force Base in California. We have also had the opportunity to walk inside the Shuttle Endeavor when it was being updated at Plant 42 in Palmdale, CA. Along with that we have seen it takeoff while riding atop a redesigned 747 for its return to Kennedy Space Center. Each of these were pretty cool and will be lasting memories, but none of them compare to an actual launch. Even at 11 miles you can feel the ground begin to tremble. Some 10 - 15 seconds after launch, the roar of the engines began to reach us. With each passing second, the sound became louder requiring you to yell at the person standing next to you to be heard. It is definitely a sight we will never forget, and we encourage everyone we know to add it to your list of things to see.

Space exploration is an expensive endeavor, but one which we feel is worthwhile. Since the beginning of written history, man has always explored the unknown. History is littered with their travels and discoveries. Columbus and Magellan explored the seas. Ponce de Leon, the Pilgrims, and others followed to the New World. Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, all headed West looking for new discoveries. Man has strived to be the first to the North Pole and to the top of Mount Everest. Jacques Cousteau ventured underwater to discover what we could not readily see. Space exploration seems like a natural extension of man's journey here on Earth. We know nothing about flying saucers nor Klingons, but when you look up in the sky and see all the stars and all the opportunities for life to exist, it does present some exciting possibilities. After all, for those of us on Earth, to think that we are the only intelligent life form in all of the universe would seem to be extremely arrogant and not very intelligent. But what do we know?