Just came down from the roof of the building I’m working in. First it was just this big flame in the distance traveling skyward, smoke soon forming behind it. It didn’t go straight up, but diagonally instead, the path arcing as it got higher. Eventually the flame died down and all I could see was a snake of smoke continuing to grow into the sky, with little flashes at its tip. Then the smoke stopped completely and there was a little white speck continuing to move through the blue. Eventually, my eyes became watery from looking upwards towards the sun, and I lost sight of it.
Good luck, spacemen!
UPDATE: SarahK took some pictures from where she works and will post them tonight.
I envy you.
Godspeed Discovery!
I lived T’ville from 84 to 93 and worked at CCAS in 96. Unless you’ve seen a launch, you have no idea how great they are. If you ever get the chance – GO! Also if it’s a night launch, doubly GO!
We’ll be praying for you, Discovery crew!
so, where are the pictures you undoubtedly took for us?
🙂
I’ll bet that baby was haulin’.
Frank, about how long did it take to travel from the pad to when you lost sight of it?
Usually you can see the Shuttle with the naked eye until the main engines are turned off – although it’s got to be a really, really clear day.
I haven’t gotten to watch a shuttle launch, but I did see a delta 2 launch in 1984. The cloud ceiling that day was 10k’. The rocket pierced the clouds in about 5 or 6 seconds from liftoff. I can’t imagine how loud the shuttle must be, but this one was quite non-quiet. It was awesome to watch!
Have a safe journey astronauts!!
A Delta 2 is nothing to a Shuttle. If you’re on the Indian River in Titusville (about 12 miles from the pads) you can sometimes feel the rumble. If you’re on KSC, you’ll feel it at the viewing sites – ever hear the car alarms in the background of the news reports? It’s awesome.
UPDATE: SarahK took some from where she works and will post them tonight.
Took some what? Astronauts? Fuel Sensors? Ball point pens?
At least you could watch it live from NASA’s homepage… which is precisely what I did! Love dem Internet.