Who cares what a 'stupid truck driver' does...

Sometimes my profession puts me in a location that I wouldn't have otherwise been. Today, for example, I am at Patrick AFB. Generally, this would mean nothing. However, today, as luck would have it, I will be in a pretty good position to see Endeavour blast off.

I have never seen a launch live, and I am rather excited by it.

I am curious to see if any other members have been down here to witness a shuttle launch.

too bad it's not going to be a night launch, those are supposed to be the best to see and there may be no more?

I swear we keep hearing this "last one" thing over and over.

I saw the first launch after the Challenger explosion.

I can't remember whether I was 10 or 20 miles away.

At that distance, it's a big ball of flame but no sound -- but then a bit like rolling thunder when you first hear it. Still fascinating.

Looks like this one, and then Atlantis in July, then they pull the plug.

I was reading that we are gonna pay $60M a ticket to get our guys to the space station on the Russian 'shuttle'. Seems like a waste to me.

Quote: odiousgambit

I swear we keep hearing this "last one" thing over and over.

Sort of like Cher's "farewell" performances.

Quote: avargov

Sometimes my profession puts me in a location that I wouldn't have otherwise been. Today, for example, I am at Patrick AFB. Generally, this would mean nothing. However, today, as luck would have it, I will be in a pretty good position to see Endeavour blast off.

I have never seen a launch live, and I am rather excited by it.

I am curious to see if any other members have been down here to witness a shuttle launch.

I'm jealous, would be a very cool thing to see. My grandfather was a guest at a launch maybe 8 years or so ago and said it was amazing. Enjoy it!

I'm curious what the title of this thread means.

I guess you're a truck driver.

But by labeling it "Stupid truck driver", I thought you were talking about someone else. Except that guy is, as I recall, a truck dispatcher....

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I'm curious what the title of this thread means.

I guess you're a truck driver.

But by labeling it "Stupid truck driver", I thought you were talking about someone else. Except that guy is, as I recall, a truck dispatcher....

LOL that was the first thing I thought also when I saw the thread.

I have been vacationing at Disney World at least twice during day launches and you can see the trail easily from central Florida. We made it a point to get to the coast for a night launch, though--that is spectacular. It lights up like daylight. Unfortunately, the timing can change with the weather so the first time we got a good spot the launch was scrubbed and we had to come back a few nights later. Luckily, the kids think rockets are cool and didn't mind bailing on Mickey a few times to see the launch, and we have friends on Merritt Island, so we hung out at their house for a poolside cookout before we headed up to the launch the next time.

It gets very crowded near Kennedy and the fast-food places did a booming business after a scrubbed launch. People would turn their front lawns into parking lots for a nominal fee. The space program is great for the local economy, and cool to boot.

Teddy and Jim: I was infomed not too long ago, by a sock puppet, that no one on this board would care what a stupid truck driver is doing. I thought perhaps this would be of inerest to most of us here.

And, btw, I know I am not a stupid truck driver, but a man who happens to drive a truck, and is a small business owner. I am just playing along so the next puppet could see. I did shed a tear when I was mentioned in the farewell address ;-)

So how was it avargov? The video on my local news looked great.

Well, from my vantage point atop the commissary, I have to say it was effing awesome! Sure it would have been cooler at night, but I must admit I had goosebumps. I just turned 40 on the 11th, but the first Columbia flight is my Neil Armstrong memory. I had always wanted to see a lift off live, and dang it, it sure was worth it!!

I only wish I would have been closer. Kinda eerie the low thunder sound and feel about 15 seconds after it took off.

I visted KSC in 1991. No launches, but we got to see, from a distance, two shuttles on the pads, plus an Air Force Delta rocket in another part of the complex. By that time I was only half-disenchanted with the space program, and just sad about Challenger.

I was in Orlando in 2006 and thought about driving to KSC again. But by then I was fully disenchanted with the space program and furious about Columbia. So I stayed in central Florida...

It is worth going to KSC once. the Vertical Assembly Building and the rockets displayed outside are very impressive, particualrly the Saturn V laying on its side. But what I'd like to see now is the SpaceX production line, or a Falcon I or Falcon IX launch. They, and other private companies like T-Space, SpaceDev, Scaled Composites, Bigelow Aerospace and others, are the cutting edge of space travel these days.

KSC Visitor Complex was very disappointing when I went last year- it is run by a private company, and it has not been updated since I last went in 1997.

Quote: avargov

Looks like this one, and then Atlantis in July, then they pull the plug.

I was reading that we are gonna pay $60M a ticket to get our guys to the space station on the Russian 'shuttle'. Seems like a waste to me.

A big waste. Yet another sign the USA is more and more trying to live off past successes than try for new ones and has given up on the hard stuff/anything that takes longer than a baseball-season to get done. We could use another JFK/Reagan.