Publish Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010
Discovery before launch
Ok…first and foremost, let me express my sincerest apologies for not updating more. I’m REALLY REALLY sorry. But, now I have something to write about, which is just fun. Now, here’s the story:
“T minus 9 minutes and holding.” The loud speaker’s voice crackled out over the lawn, bringing sound to the otherwise quiet night. I clutched my wind breaker around me and looked over at my Uncle Bobby who was setting up his camera gear.
“Do you think it’ll go?” I asked him.
“Lets hope so!” He answered. I looked down at my watch. 5:20 AM. The launch was supposed to go at 6:21 AM. 61 minutes to go. I took a deep breath and look over the horizon to where the bright spotlight beaconed over the night sky, marking the Space Shuttle Discovery’s path. I wondered how the astronauts were feeling just then. They were, after all, strapped onto a huge tank of fuel that was standing over liquid hydrogen and oxygen that were about to me mixed, and then lighted. Were they nervous? Or just excited that they were conquering their dreams to go to The Final Frontier? The mood around the massive field, speckled with folding chairs and people decked out in NASA gear, was tense and excited. We had all come from far away, some people form across oceans, to see Discovery Shuttle launch into the sky at 6:21 AM on April 5th, 2010.
Tens of thousands of people clustered in the field outside the Rocket Garden
20 minutes later, at 5:41 AM, the host of the Rocket Garden Live Launch Coverage stepped up on stage with a microphone in hand. “If you look over towards the rocket garden in about ten seconds, you’ll be able to see the International Space Station come by us in the night sky.” Eagerly, I turned towards the parking lot and squinted towards the stars…looking…looking…
Suddenly, a ripple ran through the crowd. Whispers of “There!” and “I see it!” Sure enough, a bright, bluish-white star-like shape was flying across the darkness, just overhead. I thought about the brave astronauts that were up there right now, waiting for the next crew to come join them. They were probably looking down at Earth right then, thinking of home.
“It looks as if it’s on a straight course for the moon!” The NASA announcer said with awe. He was right. A few seconds later, our view showed the Space Station shooting directly through the center of the crescent moon.
“Wow!” A collective gasp went up through the audience as we watched the station arch gracefully over the moon and back into darkness. “Amazing”.
Lift off!!!
We waited another 40 minutes in the field, staring out at the horizon. I yawned. I’d been up now since 9:00 yesterday morning. This was my first all-nighter. “T minus 5 minutes and counting.” The announcer blared. It was a subtle shift, but you could feel a surge of emotion–excitement, and even a bit of tenseness—run around the the field at the speaker’s voice. It was so close! We were almost there!
Every eye at the NASA space center was trained on that small location in the pre-dawn sky. The first colors of sunrise were only just beginning to break, and stars still twinkled directly overhead. I heard the speaker crackle to life again, and the staticy voice of the announcer broadcast out to the spectators. “Discovery is go for launch in 10…9…8…7…”
I clutched Mom and Dad’s hand, an excited flip flop occurring in my stomach. This was it!
“…5…4…3…2…1” Suddenly, the pre-dawn sky erupted with light. An orange-yellow glow grew
Higher and higher it goes...
from the horizon, blinding those watching. It was brighter than the sun…brighter than anything I had ever seen. Slowly, a bright orange fireball climbed from the glow into the sky, gaining speed. We watched from below as the shape sped higher and higher, a trail of smoke behind it. Then, the ground began to rumble. It was like an earthquake in that field! A deafening roar echoed out over the grounds. Then, the loudest sound of all. The bang like a cannon—like a hundred canons—as Discovery broke the sound barrier. I could feel the rumble in my heart, and I wondered what the sound would be like from the inside of the shuttle.
The fireball climbed higher and higher, growing smaller by the minutes. It disappeared for moment, but then reemerged from behind it’s own plume of smoke, nothing more than a rapidly moving, bright star. Every person in NASA waited with bated breath for the communication with Discovery. It was silent now.
“Discovery go for throttle up.” The NASA commander said. I knew somewhere, that meant they were almost there. They were almost into space. A few moments later, the NASA announcer came on stage to inform us that Discovery had indeed reached orbit safely, and the 7 astronauts inside were fine.
The space shuttle's plume after the sun rose
As we walked away from NASA, staring up at the plume of smoke which had now turned vivid colors when the air mixed with the chemicals, I knew that this day was something I would never forget. It was a brief moment in time, so small and slim, but it was life changing. Something to remember for ever. Something special. I wonder what we’ll discover next?
Hello Ayla; Glad to see you posting again. Great story; a great day for me is 9-29-09; the day I stepped aboard Three @ Sea and met you folks for the first time. Have a Blessed Day.
Ayla,
Did I ever tell you my roommate in the Navy has the record for most flights as shuttle commander? I’ve attended several of his launches and every one was spectacular, but a dawn launch is even more special. Glad you enjoyed it.
Dick
Hi Ayla,
Thank you for sharing this memory with us! Makes me want to go to a launch. I’ll make sure Mitchell & Anthony read your blog entry.
Warmly,
Jackie S.
Wow! I wish I could of seen that launch of the space shuttle.
~Mitchell
Ayla,
What a well written story! You made me feel like I was there! Thank you for sharing.
Best wishes,
Anne
That sounds awesome!
Ok, first off, great story. You’re very blessed that you have and are going to do and see in your life. Also, I’d like to add that there’s nothing like being a 36 year old male and living vicariously through a 12 year old female he has never met. Now , I have to share this with you. I want to do exactly what you are doing. I actually stumbled upon you guys after visiting the Nordhavn website and then searching “Nordhavn” on YouTube. I have approximately ZERO boating experience and decided to take a cruise (yes, on a huge cruise ship) to the Caribbean as a way of getting my feet wet (no pun intended) and for a vacation. Granted, I metaphorically only dipped a toe, but I learned a lot. I also learned a lot from your videos and reading blogs, blogs and more blogs. Here’s a few things that I have learned either from you or the cruise:
1. I now know what a keel cooler is.
2. You tend to sway to and fro even after being home and on terra firma for two days.
3. The sun is INTENSE!!!
4. Seagulls, along with myself, will not eat green bell peppers picked off of a pizza.
5. How to use a barometer to help predict weather.
6. Standing watch seems really, really boring.
7. How to properly identify port, starboard, aft & forward.
I know these all might seem trite, especially to a seasoned veteran like yourself, but baby steps my friend. I am impressed with myself seeing how I am from Indiana and have only been on a pontoon boat before the cruise and didn’t get seasick. Before I go, I want to leave you with this… I continuously thought of you and your family on the cruise. Mainly on the way into port when I would see trawlers like yours moored in coves around the smaller islands. I was envious to say the least. The peace, the quite, the solitude, it must be heaven!!! The other times were while in port and I would see trawlers, sailboats and yachts go to and from the harbor. And when we were at sea, staring for hours on end at absolutely nothing and amazingly enjoying it. I am glad I enjoyed it because I was sidelined after an unfortunate limbo accident and probably would have been bored out of my gourd on the last leg home. I hope the e-mail finds you all well and keep on with the blogging and vlogging. Hopefully, in 10 or 14 years, I’ll be able to retire and do what you’re doing right now.
Sincerely,
Kurt
Wish I could have been there! Great report!
Can’t wait to see you this summer!
Hi Ayla! What a fantastic job you did telling us all about the launch. It sounds very exciting. I’m glad BobbyO was there with you and your parents. I’m sure they all enjoyed it too. We miss you.
Love,
The Armstrongs
Great story! It brought back memories of when I worked at Kennedy during the Apollo launches. I never saw a night launch, but the sound and rumbling of the earth were intense.
You guys pretty much live a life of vacations! nice