So who likes a shuttle launch?

I remember how big of a thing these used to be. I can remember them bringing in a TV to class for us all to watch.

it is a shame that such an amazing feat does not seem that impressive to us as a Nation anymore.

So who likes a shuttle launch?

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Paris Hilton?

I was fortunate enough to be in Navy boot camp in Florida when the Space Shuttle launched once. We got a pretty good view for being probably 20 miles away or so, what on account of Florida being flat as a pancake and all.

I've actually seen several. Way cool. Traffic still stops during the launch on many smaller roads within a hundred-or-so mile radius. Of course, there's always at least a handful of accidents on the interstate and the turnpike during a launch...

"Hey look at that, Mabel! Where's it going? I can't see...."

*CRASH*

I grew up on the great Space Coast of Florida, so for every launch, we would march out of the school and watch it go up in the sky. Then a minute later, you'd hear the sonic boom (sonic, right?). ONe time I was driving, and I was convinced someone had fired a gun at my car!

I still remember watching the Challenger explode in midair (I was eight I think). Our teacher ate lunch with us in the cafeteria that day instead of in the teacher's lounge.

Thanks for the link, Beez.

My husband has it on his laptop right now. We've been to two launches. I know we had to get special passes months in advance. I manned the video camera, my husband did the still shots. Meanwhile, my sons weren't that impressed and I had to be the entertainment committee.

I haven't mowed my lawn in weeks, that should be soft enough in case they have to abort. What's their number?

Watching it now, w00t! Pass the Pringles....

Gotta love the camera angles you never see on regular TV....

Here we go!

beezle said:

Well, if you do (or if you've never tried but always been curious) why not watch it live on NASA TV?

http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx

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That was cool! Thanks for posting it! (and I got on just in time...it was T minus 5 minutes when I clicked on it)

Awesome! I always hold my breath (not literally) until SRB and main tank separation is complete. What a perfect launch.

Saw it - very cool.

I clicked on that, I'm way too late to see the launch but glad it went okay. They just showed a video that had the little insignia/patch for the mission, I was counting the names in it (six total), and then was amused when I noticed that at the bottom of the patch the name "Anderson" was added.

I've never seen a live launch of anything at NASA. I was in college when the first flights were being made, and there were always delays. I knew people who drove down to see the launch (about an 8 hour drive from Atlanta) and with all the delays and such, it was always a crap shoot whether they got to actually see a launch or not. I've always wanted to see a launch. I hear it's awesome. I got cousins in DeLand, I should go down and hang out around the time of a future scheduled launch...

The technology to get people into orbit safely is incredible. Going up 120 miles is hardly 1/10th of it. The other 9/10ths is getting the tin can with people in it moving at seven miles per second. Actually there's yet another 9/10ths, getting those people stopped without them being splattered all over the place. I never "take a breath" until the thing comes to a stop on the landing strip. And now with the ISS, there's always been someone up there in some tin can, even with the scarce Shuttle flights since Columbia came apart. So really I'm ALWAYS holding my breath.

They just had a replay of the launch, it was interesting seeing the mission control guy pointing his pencil around... that pencil throws around a lot of weight.

Jedi Dad said:

I remember how big of a thing these used to be. I can remember them bringing in a TV to class for us all to watch.

it is a shame that such an amazing feat does not seem that impressive to us as a Nation anymore.

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Yeah, I remember the day Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon being beamed into our classroom (I don't think it was exactly live back then), and I've often thought it's a pity there isn't that excitement about many things these days. The greatest technological breakthroughs seem to be something like another stupid addition to cellphone features.

Yeah, people will spend billions of dollars a year on ringtones and other pointless crap but think ponying up the same amount to explore the universe is wasteful.

I watched Armstrong step on the moon, and it was a live broadcast. Some estimates (if memory serves) were that over a quarter of the world's population watched it. What a shame people aren't that excited anymore.

When does American Idol start, again?

ChunkyC said:

Yeah, people will spend billions of dollars a year on ringtones and other pointless crap but think ponying up the same amount to explore the universe is wasteful.

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Hmm, we might want to pick up on this idea in TIO.

ChunkyC said:

I watched Armstrong step on the moon, and it was a live broadcast.

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Yes it was, but they didn't get the timing right the way Presidents do with their speeches to be shown in Prime Time. Armstrong stepped on the Moon at about Midnight Eastern time (yes, I was 11 years old and stayed up to watch. I forget who else in the family watched, but I had by far the greatest interest), so if you saw it in a classroom during school time in the USA, it was certainly not live.

ChunkyC said:

Some estimates (if memory serves) were that over a quarter of the world's population watched it. What a shame people aren't that excited anymore.

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There is only one Moon orbiting Earth, and the "next big goal" would be Mars, and that's still one or several decades away. There were originally 11 Moon missions planned, Apollo 11 through Apollo 21, but due to waning popularity and resultant waning funds (NASA is funded by the US Congress, and apparently the pubic's wishes or lack thereof really are reflected there), the last manned Moon mission was Apollo 17. Furthermore, the race to the Moon was a Cold War thing against the USSR to show who was best (the USA was planning the first unmanned Earth satellite with Project Vanguard, but got usurped and shamed with the successful launch of Sputnik). We won the Moon Race in July 1969, so the only interest left in the Moon Program was scientific.

robeiae said:

When does American Idol start, again?

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MODS!!! Mods, where are you?!?!?!?!?! Where are the Mods today???

I used to watch them until that one exploded. Now I can't bear. I think that's why they stopped televising them. But I love to hear when they've made it up in space.