Yep, that's right! As I mentioned in my previous blog, Leslie and I had gone to Florida to watch the April 2011 launch attempt of STS-134, and the launch was scrubbed a few hours prior to liftoff. So this meant that Eric, Celeste and I were able to make a family trip last week to watch the launch at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Day 1: Friday, May 13
Eric had oral surgery the day before, which meant that the driving was all up to me (yikes!). We headed out as soon as his followup appointment was over that morning, and I drove all ... day ... long ... and then some.
I kept telling Celeste about the states that we were going through, and it was so cute to hear her say, "Lew-eeee-see-ann-a" and "MiSSiSSippi," etc. Somewhere between Pensacola and Tallahassee, Celeste got sick in the back of the car. Man, that's a pleasant smell! Poor baby though, she was pretty freaked out about it.
The drive was sooo incredible that I had to take these awesome pictures of these incredible places so people would know we've been here.
Then we passed over this famous bridge...
At last, the scenery began to change...
Finally, we arrived at our resort a few hours after midnight. Boy, was that a welcome sight. The place was like an apartment, with all the amenities of home.
Day 2: Saturday, May 14
Saturday began with all three of us heading to a real, actual Krispy Kreme! It was just around the corner from our resort. Yum!
After we ate, I dropped Eric and Celeste off at Ron Jon's in Cocoa Beach and headed to KSC to pick up the car pass that Armando so kindly reserved for me. Just driving up to the VAB had me reminiscing of my trip a couple of weeks ago, and full of pride for the amazing work that we do.
Then after, I went back to my little family at Ron Jon's and we bought Celeste a "surf board" so she could do some "surfing" the next day. Boy, was she ever excited!
Day 3: Sunday, May 15
So we started our day, yet again, with a trip to Krispy Kreme. Celeste loves watching them make the donuts.
Then we headed down to Cocoa Beach and drove down the beach until we found a great spot to get in the water. These beaches are just stunning. The water is quite clear and blue, and the beaches are pretty clean. And the waves! WOW. They were crashing down on shore, right at the shoreline, and were quite huge. Many of them were easily as tall as Eric.
Day 4: Monday, May 16
Launch Day!!
We woke up at around 4:00am and quickly got ready to head to the Space Center. The launch was set for 8:56am Eastern, and may had told us that we should plan on getting there as soon as possible (4+ hours early). We didn't even wake Celeste; we just took her in her pajamas, brought her blanket and pillows, and she slept the whole way to KSC.
I had this great idea to head to KSC's gate 2 (by the visitor complex) by simply GPSing the KSC Visitor Complex. My GPS gave me the address of a location in Titusville, FL. I assumed this was right, since Titusville is so close to KSC. Let's just say that when I pulled into the tiny, overgrown ghost-town of a roach motel on Kennedy Drive, I knew something was up. Oh man, talk about funny. And no, that one absolutely cannot be blamed on my skills as a female driver. It's all on the GPS.
After moments of confusion, laughter, and minor paranoia, we found ourselves crawling in a loooooooong line of traffic near the real KSC Visitor Complex. Once we got through the gate and to our spot on the Causeway, we made a little pallet near the water and got ready for the launch.
We arrived 3+ hours before the launch, and it wasn't too crowded. It was pretty great, and the view wasn't bad either! Celeste kept excitedly asking when the "rocket ship" would go up. It was so cute!
I kept a close eye on my watch and when they entered the last countdown, our anticipation and excitement was built so extremely high that I'm not sure I can accurately describe it on here. Celeste was anxious; I was excited; Eric was excited.
Then it happened. First, there was this huge burst of smoky clouds as the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) were ignited. Not even seconds later, this magnificent vehicle, supported by it's 2 SRBs and External Tank were lifted off the ground with such a great force.
Randy, one of the KSC guys that we work with on-console during on-orbit inspection operations, had advised me to wear sunglasses when watching the launch because of the sheer vibrance of the flame. Unfortunately, I'd lost mine the day before in the Atlantic. But when that bad boy took off, I realized what he meant. It was like staring directly into the sun; so bright!
Wow. I am truly blessed.
These next two photos were taken by a woman named Stephanie Gordon of Hoboken, NJ. She was on a plane from NJ to Palm Beach, FL, and took these photos looking out her airplane window.
After the launch, I caught a flight from Orlando back to Houston to begin working the Flight Day 2 TPS inspections from the TIC console in the MCC Shuttle Mission Evaluation Room; Eric and Celeste drove home. This is a long mission (16+0+2 days thus far), and it can certainly make anyone tired to support every day during on-orbit operations. However, it is certainly the most rewarding job I can imagine and I absolutely love it.
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