Shuttle Launch Titusville

[bonhall41]

I say the official story is that if the launch is postponed, we were there anyway whenever it happened--and had front row seats in the VIP viewing section.

[bonhall41]

I was really looking forward to meeting some of you fine folks at the shuttle launch but just checked the dates and that's the week of the Daytona 500 so that's where we will be but might drive down for the day to see the launch. If they launch to the north, we'll be able to see it from there. Hope y'all have a fun time.

Bonnie

[lewpopp]

Bonnie, they will launch straight up and not over Daytona. You'll be able to see it from there if the atmosphere is clear.

[bonhall41]

Lew,

With all due respect, when rendezvousing with the ISS, the space shuttle launch trajectory takes it northward up the East Coast. You're right, if it's clear, we should be able to see it from Daytona. We've seen it from Orlando as well as from the Space Center. When seeing it from the Space Center, we lost it pretty quickly because the viewing area is south of the launch pads. It's really something to see if you've never experienced it. Of course, you can probably see more on TV. I'd really like to see a night launch sometime.

Bonnie

[rfoster]

Yea, but you gotta be there to "feel" the noise.

[bonhall41]

For sure. There's nothing quite like it.

Bonnie

[lewpopp]

I was lucky enough to see a nite launch and viewed it from The Great Outdoors. What a spectacular show.

Bonnie, what is the ISS?

[bonhall41]

International Space Station

[dmark1]

The guy who flew on our right wing on the flight to OSH is the Flight Dynamics guy in Mission Control Houston and we were quizing him on just this thing. I think several of us are thinking about making this shuttle launch, so maybe this is a mini rally opportunity?

I know the Krakman will be there because the ACME factory is in that part of the country....

Great idea - I would love to make this trip!

[phorner]

Looks like this event may be shaping up as a genuine mini-rally.

We made our reservations today for February 11 through 14, hoping that the shuttle launch will take place on schedule. Cindy at TGO said that they would try their best to keep us together, although this is the height of their peak season.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

As an aside, we should have plenty of room at the Outdoor Resorts in St. Lucie West (and hopefully, we can wrangle out a discounted rate) for anyone wanting to extend their stay in South Florida. Last year, we had a private RV show during this same period that was very successful and hopefully it will be re-scheduled for the same time frame in '09. Marathon, Liberty, Vantare, and Amadas coaches were all represented there.