Most awsome thing I saw in Florida...

[Bullet]

I am about to start to plan my trip to see the shuttle launch, well, as good as you can plan to see a launch anyway.

I have been fascinated by the shuttle since I was a kid, and to be so close to seeing it launch after growing up in Australia and now residing in Texas would be a great shame.

 

[Toejam]

I bet Joe got some real good ones if he wasn't driving.

Great hanging with you guys at the track for 2 days!

Ahh..........I was driving! Greg grabbed the wheel while I shot!

 

[FC138fan]

I was lucky enough to see STS 124 last May -

YouTube - STS 124 Launch - May 31, 2008

It was very impressive. If I had to do it again, I would not have videotaped it though. We were on the causeway about 6.5 miles out. I was hoping to be able to feel the launch, but believe it or not, you get blasted away harder at an NHRA event.

But keeping in mind that the shuttle was 6.5 miles out it was an impressive sound. It sounded like a long, somewhat loud rolling thunder with some popping and banging explosions that lasts about 30 seconds.

We got lucky, planned about a month out. Arrived in FL the night before the launch. Got up at 6ish to catch the tour bus in Titusville. Spent the day at the space center checking things out. Headed out to the causeway a few hours before the launch. Countdown was perfect, launched first time right on time, no issues. But then--

The way out was a nightmare! We got unlucky in that our tour bus was just about the last on to get on the causeway, therefore one of the last ones to leave. We got stuck at the visitor center for about 20 mins waiting for some jokes to catch the bus. It took 2 solid hours in traffic to leave the NASA complex. Then another solid two hours to get back to cocoa beach. The whole coast gets packed to the gills with people.

It was worth it, but I wouldn't do it again unless I could get closer then 6 miles. Man that woulda sucked if it would have gotten scrubbed-- theres some rules with the tickets that if you get out to the causeway and theres no launch, you lose the tix. I would not have come back for the second attempt.

 

[BurkartFan]

Seeing it come back down is just as exciting for me; how they can pinpoint the landing on something that big, free-falling, under no power, from outerspace... and yet they project & get it down to knowing the exact second it touches down... in Calif or Florida.... while it's still up there orbiting... is amazing.

And if you're in the right place in Florida (or CA), the sonic boom will rock your world as they're re-entering and making final approach!

 

[willy]

It is actually the loudest noise ever created by man..which is why they let out 300,00 gallons of water at launch to suppress the noise and protect the shuttle from acoustical damage.

NASA - Sound Suppression Unleashes a Flood

Amazing stuff.

 

[FC138fan]

Could you imagine a Saturn V launch.. If you've ever been to the space center in FL or TX and stood next to one of those (or under it).. then think of those 5 F1 engines at full power!

BTW thats not me in the pic, I just found it on the web

 

[sdwarf36]

..... what's even more awesome is when you consider that Larry Dixon's car launched harder and accelerated faster than the space shuttle yesterday.... 4times mind you!!!

Lets make it a fair fight-Either the shuttle gets to go horizontial or Larry has to go vertical!

Coming from the generation who was asleep on the living room floor when we landed on the moon, anything space gets my attention-to my kid its just become a bus leaving the station.
One part of the process I always wanted to see was the splashdown + chasing of the booster rockets. In all these years, I've never seen any coverage of that end of it.

 

[FC138fan]

In all these years, I've never seen any coverage of that end of it.

Ever since columbia, theyve been placing cameras all over the shuttle. Here are some that are attached to the booster, they show all the way to spashdown.

There are tons of cool shots like this out there on youtube.

I've yet to see video of the external tank re-entering the atmoshpere though. They have a camera mounted on it as well, but they never broadcast the feed till the end.

YouTube - Shuttle SRB Cam launch video 1

 

[Toejam]

Could you imagine a Saturn V launch.. If you've ever been to the space center in FL or TX and stood next to one of those (or under it).. then think of those 5 F1 engines at full power!

BTW thats not me in the pic, I just found it on the web

I could only imagine the Shock wave of being anywhere Near the Saturn V when it launched! I bet it dwarfs the SPace Shuttle launches of today!

 

[sdwarf36]

Ever since columbia, theyve been placing cameras all over the shuttle. Here are some that are attached to the booster, they show all the way to spashdown.

There are tons of cool shots like this out there on youtube.

I've yet to see video of the external tank re-entering the atmoshpere though. They have a camera mounted on it as well, but they never broadcast the feed till the end.

YouTube - Shuttle SRB Cam launch video 1

Thank you! It made my nite.

 

[Toejam]

Check out this link from 3 miles away, and the Noise from the Shuttle!

YouTube - Real Sound of Space Shuttle STS-117 Launch, 3 miles

 

[Doug]

Here is the tentative schedule
NASA - NASA's Shuttle and Rocket Missions

 

[The Fall Guy]

It was great seeing:
Bob Tasca win his first
Frank Manzo showing his greatness
2 nitrous cars in the pro mod final

But... the most awsome thing I saw all weekend - the space shuttle discovery taking off in the distance as Joe and I drove to Orlando last night. It was very surreal and it took a few seconds to realize what I/we were witnessing but it was very cool!

And - Joe will have some pics.

wouldyou believe, my wife & I & her cousins were coming home from Orlando Sunday. Went right by Gainsville exit & were in Nashville when Discovery went up.