At 7:55 tonight the space shuttle Endeavour will lift off. I can’t decide if I want to try to get close up, or just watch it from my front yard. I guess it is kinda cool living on the space coast.
Is anyone else going to watch the nas-holes light this candle?
I’ll be watching the HDNet coverage this evening; it’s probably better than seeing it live, seeing as you can’t get within a couple miles of the launch pad.
I’ve been watching a lot of James Bond movies lately. I’m expecting trouble.
What are the chances we’ll have a launch? I’ve wanted for some time to see a launch from here, and a night launch apparently gives me the best chance.
I’ll be camping out watching NASA’s online stream.
We’ll head out to the edge of Payne’s Prairie (read swamp) tonight and watch. We’re one hundred fifty miles away and saw it fine last time, but for cloudiness. It’s pretty cool to be out there at night with so many other people, watching for the rocket’s red glare.
Well! That was a narrow escape! The shuttle narrowly missed hitting the full Moon! Nice driving, astronaut dudes.
Thanks for the reminder, The Falling Reverend. Space things are good. We need more things in space.
I lived on the space coast in 1986, doing the “go outside and watch the launch” thing, and to this day I can’t watch shuttle launches. I have to wait until they’re over and then go look at the replay after I know it made it.
Hooray for going into space! I admit I’ve been so caught up in school that I had no idea a launch was even planned for today :X
And she’s up and away! Godspeed, Endeavour.
It’s always been my theory that the first astro/cosmonauts were completely insane. “Fill a huge tank with explosives, strap myself on top, have someone light it, and hope the millions of pounds of thrust are enough to fling me into orbit? Sure, why not!” is not the thought process of a sane man. But my god, I’m glad they had those crazy people who pioneered it, because doing that is awesome.
Thanks again for the reminder, Reverend.
Good job NASA. Hopefully the men on board remember to keep the extra toilet seat down or there will be hell to pay.
I SEEN IT! I SEEN IT!
I moved doen to Flagler County FL a few months ago. This was my first time seeing the shuttle launch in person.
Granted, we’re nearly a hundred miles to the north of the launch site, but it was pretty cool, nonetheless.
*It’s the loveliest show on this Earth that you’ll see;
It’s living and real, not just tape-on-TV.
So come to Canaveral, and bring lots of beer.
When the space-ship takes off we’ll all stand up and cheer!
So come let’s go witness the takeoff today
While the world’s biggest beach-party cheers her away.
We’ll bang the drums proudly and blow on the conch–
Leave a sign on your door that just says “Out to Launch!”
*
– From Witnesses’ Waltz, Leslie Fish
(Space filk is great.)