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I've been out on travel for the last month. Started out on the 22nd of June in Denver, Colorado where we spent a good week hiking and backpacking. With the higher elevation and my asthma kicking in, we were not able to meet our quota in terms of miles per day but nonetheless, the slow pace allowed us some good picture opportunities. I took plenty of pictures, so i'll upload some of the choice photos. We ended up traveling up to the mountains. Along the way we saw some mountain goats, foxes, and bears. I managed to crawl up to a bear and take a picture of it's backside. In retrospect, that was probably a dumb idea even though we had a rifle trained on it in case the bear flinched the wrong way as we later heard a report of a fatal bear mauling. In one of the small towns we were picked up by a tour bus and taken to the Yellowstone area. From there, we continued our hiking expedition. After we got back, I was given the opportunity to go to Orlando to watch the very last shuttle launch.
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For the last 14 years or so, I have always wanted to see a shuttle launch. The fact that Rocket Park was always within eyeshot on my way to school did not help matters. Every time my mom, who works in engineering, had an opportunity to go, I would spend hours begging to go. It was besides the point that I had three tests the day before and a project due the day after; it was an opportunity to see a shuttle launch! It wasn’t just about watching one of the marvels of human engineering literally rocket up into the outer reaches of Earth, but to soak in the experience of one of our finest achievements. I couldn’t have been more upset when every opportunity I had to go and watch, was shot down and I was stuck at home. Thankfully, once I hit college and an internship with CEP, I had more opportunities and importantly, more free time to go.
Arriving in Orlando (after paying an arm and a leg), I was beyond ecstatic and laced with anticipation. This was the real deal! My mom and I tagged along with her coworker and made our way to our hotel down in Cocoa Beach. We stayed at a Holiday Inn and while checking in, there were multiple NASA folks sitting down and having some sort of meeting. My mom’s coworker knew someone in the meeting and came over to say hi and chat. Not only did he reacquaint himself with an old colleague, he scored us VIP passes to a tour happening the following day, viewing at Banana Creek, and be a part of a staff to help plan it all out. I can’t thank him enough for this opportunity.
The tour was amazing! It was mainly a pass on some important buildings at KSC. We got to see the Vehicle Assembly Building where they assemble the rocket prior to launch. The large American Flag in the background is actually painted on there and each stripe is the width of a two lane road.
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg[/IMG]
And mainly the shuttle.
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image006.jpg[/IMG]
Unfortunately, the skies did not look favorable for a launch and there was a 70+ % chance of the shuttle not going on schedule according to the official NASA releases.
That night, the winds started howling as the storm system that NASA had been monitoring came onto shore and dumped rain on the area. The chances for a launch seemed to dwindle.
Much to everyone’s surprise, we woke up to better conditions. The cloud ceiling was high and the clouds were not dark and ominous. Apparently, the storm system blew through a lot quicker than forecasted. During the wee hours of the morning, NASA decided to go ahead with tanking which means that they will fill up the tanks with fuel in preparation for launch. For me this was a double edged sword. This means that the shuttle can launch on schedule or that if anything goes wrong and the launch is scrubbed, it will be a 48 hour turnaround, effectively ending my chance to see a launch. We arrived at Banana Creek to see a mass throng of optimistic and excited viewers. It was like a Gala event, minus the formal attire, as there were center directors, astronauts, and celebrities among the crowd.
The atmosphere was lively and, like me, rife with anticipation. The sun even decided to peek out of the clouds briefly and that seemed to seal the deal that the launch WILL happen today. Everyone could feel it! Everyone kept a close eye to the countdown clock as each second marked it closer to a historic launch and an experience we would not forget.
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image012.jpg[/IMG]
The clock stopped at T-minus 9 minutes as the final preparations were made. I positioned myself onto the grass in front of the bleachers. I had a front row seat to the action. Finally, T-minus 9 minutes counted down and dwindled to T-minus 1 minute. My heart was in my throat and my head was swimming in emotions. It was going to happen! I started mentally counting down…35…34…33…32…31…31…31…wait a minute. The countdown had stopped. Like the countdown clock, time for me seemed to stop too. It was sooo close, yet so far. It was amazing how the atmosphere had changed from excited jubilation to a hushed worry. However, the mission controllers did not sound worried at all. After a few minutes all I heard was start countdown in 3…2…1…mark. The clock started counting down again and applause broke out.
(I have a video but I don’t know how to embed it here)
You could feel the thundering of the engines even 3 miles away. The ground trembled and the crowd had a thunderous cheer. It was an amazing sight. I will even admit that I shed a few tears because of the beauty of it. It was inspiring, and well worth the 14 year wait.
I've been out on travel for the last month. Started out on the 22nd of June in Denver, Colorado where we spent a good week hiking and backpacking. With the higher elevation and my asthma kicking in, we were not able to meet our quota in terms of miles per day but nonetheless, the slow pace allowed us some good picture opportunities. I took plenty of pictures, so i'll upload some of the choice photos. We ended up traveling up to the mountains. Along the way we saw some mountain goats, foxes, and bears. I managed to crawl up to a bear and take a picture of it's backside. In retrospect, that was probably a dumb idea even though we had a rifle trained on it in case the bear flinched the wrong way as we later heard a report of a fatal bear mauling. In one of the small towns we were picked up by a tour bus and taken to the Yellowstone area. From there, we continued our hiking expedition. After we got back, I was given the opportunity to go to Orlando to watch the very last shuttle launch.
---------------------------
For the last 14 years or so, I have always wanted to see a shuttle launch. The fact that Rocket Park was always within eyeshot on my way to school did not help matters. Every time my mom, who works in engineering, had an opportunity to go, I would spend hours begging to go. It was besides the point that I had three tests the day before and a project due the day after; it was an opportunity to see a shuttle launch! It wasn’t just about watching one of the marvels of human engineering literally rocket up into the outer reaches of Earth, but to soak in the experience of one of our finest achievements. I couldn’t have been more upset when every opportunity I had to go and watch, was shot down and I was stuck at home. Thankfully, once I hit college and an internship with CEP, I had more opportunities and importantly, more free time to go.
Arriving in Orlando (after paying an arm and a leg), I was beyond ecstatic and laced with anticipation. This was the real deal! My mom and I tagged along with her coworker and made our way to our hotel down in Cocoa Beach. We stayed at a Holiday Inn and while checking in, there were multiple NASA folks sitting down and having some sort of meeting. My mom’s coworker knew someone in the meeting and came over to say hi and chat. Not only did he reacquaint himself with an old colleague, he scored us VIP passes to a tour happening the following day, viewing at Banana Creek, and be a part of a staff to help plan it all out. I can’t thank him enough for this opportunity.
The tour was amazing! It was mainly a pass on some important buildings at KSC. We got to see the Vehicle Assembly Building where they assemble the rocket prior to launch. The large American Flag in the background is actually painted on there and each stripe is the width of a two lane road.
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg[/IMG]
And mainly the shuttle.
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image006.jpg[/IMG]
Unfortunately, the skies did not look favorable for a launch and there was a 70+ % chance of the shuttle not going on schedule according to the official NASA releases.
That night, the winds started howling as the storm system that NASA had been monitoring came onto shore and dumped rain on the area. The chances for a launch seemed to dwindle.
Much to everyone’s surprise, we woke up to better conditions. The cloud ceiling was high and the clouds were not dark and ominous. Apparently, the storm system blew through a lot quicker than forecasted. During the wee hours of the morning, NASA decided to go ahead with tanking which means that they will fill up the tanks with fuel in preparation for launch. For me this was a double edged sword. This means that the shuttle can launch on schedule or that if anything goes wrong and the launch is scrubbed, it will be a 48 hour turnaround, effectively ending my chance to see a launch. We arrived at Banana Creek to see a mass throng of optimistic and excited viewers. It was like a Gala event, minus the formal attire, as there were center directors, astronauts, and celebrities among the crowd.
The atmosphere was lively and, like me, rife with anticipation. The sun even decided to peek out of the clouds briefly and that seemed to seal the deal that the launch WILL happen today. Everyone could feel it! Everyone kept a close eye to the countdown clock as each second marked it closer to a historic launch and an experience we would not forget.
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/jhua/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image012.jpg[/IMG]
The clock stopped at T-minus 9 minutes as the final preparations were made. I positioned myself onto the grass in front of the bleachers. I had a front row seat to the action. Finally, T-minus 9 minutes counted down and dwindled to T-minus 1 minute. My heart was in my throat and my head was swimming in emotions. It was going to happen! I started mentally counting down…35…34…33…32…31…31…31…wait a minute. The countdown had stopped. Like the countdown clock, time for me seemed to stop too. It was sooo close, yet so far. It was amazing how the atmosphere had changed from excited jubilation to a hushed worry. However, the mission controllers did not sound worried at all. After a few minutes all I heard was start countdown in 3…2…1…mark. The clock started counting down again and applause broke out.
(I have a video but I don’t know how to embed it here)
You could feel the thundering of the engines even 3 miles away. The ground trembled and the crowd had a thunderous cheer. It was an amazing sight. I will even admit that I shed a few tears because of the beauty of it. It was inspiring, and well worth the 14 year wait.
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