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Just another day in Central Florida … oh wait … what’s that!?

November 16, 2009

shuttle launch (1)

Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of six astronauts blasted into space a few minutes ago. This was the view from my driveway.

“You’re missing the shuttle,” I said to my neighbor John (seen below in the photo), as he pulled into his driveway.


“Seen enough of ‘em,” he said.

launch

Here’s a close-up shot, courtesy of our friends at NASA.

Atlantis is beginning an 11-day mission to the International Space Station. It took about 8 1/2 minutes from launch to orbit, but I only saw a fraction of it, thanks to a generous cloud cover.

I’ve seen more than my share of shuttle launches, too, but with the program coming to an end soon, I like to watch each one.

It’s only a matter of time before tourism is opened to space. One day we’ll look back on this as the good ol’ days.

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9 comments

  • frostysnowman

    Cool – thanks for sharing. I saw this happen a couple of times when I lived in FL and it was always pretty amazing to watch.

  • Stephen – nyc

    Your neighbor John (he’s actually above your post, not below it – it took me a few views to realize that’s him in the photo) reminds me of the attitude we all had back during the Apollo days. Then Apollo 13 dragged us all back to pay attention. That being said, for the rest of us not in the backyard of the space center, we have a tendency to not realize it’s happening. And then we see it afterwards.

  • Phil Carta

    The launches never get old. From Ocala, we had clear skies and saw it probably better than any previous daytime launch. Even were able to see the pitch maneuver just barely above our horizon.

  • Chicky

    I live in the Marshall Space Flight Center area, and around here, shuttle launches are always news. Thanks for posting the photos!

  • kenish

    I’ve always wanted to travel to FL and see a launch. But there’s a very high risk of a wasted trip since launches are often postponed (sometimes days or even weeks). I totally understand it’s about safety but it unfortunately makes seeing a launch impractical. Thanks for the photo!

  • Michael Liebmann

    I. Am. So. Jealous! While I’ve seen about 6 landings over at Edwards Air Force Base, I have never seen a liftoff, and I do want to so much!

  • Ed

    I too have always wanted to see a launch! I visited Cape Canaveral two years ago for the first time and I’ve told everyone since that they need to go! If for no other reason then to see the Apollo moon rocket that they have laying down on it’s side and get a real idea just what a magnificent feat it was to launch men into space and then onto the moon! Amazing! A couple of months back, Nasa had a launch here in Virginia at Wallops Air Force base on the DelMarVa peninsula … but it got so delayed it became impossible to schedule time to watch it!

  • Tom

    Wow! Hope I can retire soon before the fights are over. Have always wanted to see one but could never time a trip right. For those of us who grew up in the 50′s this is still feels like science fiction. What an amazing picture.

  • Jamie LaMoreaux

    I have been to the cape to watch the Apollo’s lift off, but have never been to a shuttle launch. I guess watching interspacial delivery men go up is unimpressive compared to watching men launch for the moon on HUGE Saturn Vs. I would love to go and watch one though. NASA launches are always impressive. We watch it from the 5th floor of the UCF library and it is always fun to watch!

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