Monthly Archives: May 2009
Now I’ve got the Complete Set…
Well, it’s official.
I now have the complete set.
I got my first one on March 30, 1982 and it took me over 27 years to get the second one. But I finally did it.
I now have been at both a Space Shuttle launch and a Space Shuttle landing.
I worked on the Shuttle program at Johnson Space Center for ten years from 1978 thru 1987, but never was actually at a launch at the Cape.
In March 1982 I was part of the landing crew at the backup landing site, Northrop Strip, White Sands, New Mexico when the 3rd Shuttle mission, STS-3 landed there, the only time a Shuttle has landed somewhere other than Florida or California.
STS-3 landing
The Shuttle landed at White Sands because the landing strip at Edwards Air Force Base in California was covered with water due to recent heavy rains, and the landing strip at Cape Kennedy in Florida was not yet operational.
Coincidentally, before the landing, a movie called “Wrong is Right” was being filmed at White Sands. The White Sands area was standing in for sands of Saudia Arabia. And the movie crew was staying at the same Holiday Inn in Alamogordo, NM that we were.
It was a real kick to go down to the hotel bar every night after work and sit around drinking with Sean Connery, Katherine Ross, Robert Conrad, John Saxon, and Leslie Nielsen. And later I got to fix Katherine Ross’ hair dryer since she was staying in the hotel room next to mine.
And now I have a Shuttle launch under my belt.
We’re presently parked in Homestead, FL, about 30 miles south of Miami. Friday we’ll be heading down for a few days in the Florida Keys. So we were glad that we were still close enough to try and see a launch.
We left our park in Homestead a little after 6am this morning and got to Titusville about 11:30am, a trip of about 250 miles. We also took some extra clothes with us in case the launch was delayed over the 3 day launch window and we had to stay at a motel. But we lucked out.
The launch went off as scheduled at 2:01:56pm and we had a great spot to view it from. And one that had a lot memories for Jan and I.
Jan and met in Titusville almost 42 years where she lived and I was working for the summer. We would go out to this fishing pier outside downtown Titusville and make out. We spent a lot of time there making out.
Make Out Pier
Unfortunately there is not a lot of the old pier left, but Jan and I are still going strong, and it made a great viewing area for the launch.
And we had a lot of company!
Launch Crowd 1
Launch Crowd 2
Here are some pics of the launch. The first one is from NASA. The rest are mine.
Shuttle Launch from NASA
Shuttle Launch 2
Shuttle Launch 3
Into the Clouds
Shuttle Launch 4
Shuttle Launch 5
Shuttle Launch 6
Shuttle Launch 7
And about 30 seconds after the launch, the shock wave and the roar from the engines washed over us. It was fantastic.
Well, that was it. A real thrill for Jan and I, I tell you.
And tomorrow, if the weather holds, we plan an airboat ride thru the Everglades.
Stay tuned…
Mother’s Day & Other ‘Stuff’…
Today was one of those lay-around days.
Took Jan to Applebee’s for Mother’s Day lunch and then stopped off at WalMart to pick up some ‘stuff’.
On that note, have you notice how it seems we never have enough ‘stuff’. No matter how much ‘stuff’ we buy, a week or so later, we have to buy more ‘stuff’.
What I can’t figure out is where all the ‘stuff’ we do buy keeps going. It’s there one minute, and then I turn around and it’s gone.
The only thing I can figure out is that it turns into dryer lint. I mean, think about it.
With as much dryer lint as you pull out of the filter every time you dry clothes, it can’t all come ‘from’ your clothes. Soon you wouldn’t have any clothes left. They would have unraveled into dryer lint.
And it can’t come from something ‘on’ your clothes, because you just washed them, right. They’re clean!
So the answer is that ‘stuff’ has a life expectancy of about a week.
After that it dissolves into dryer lint.
And I think it’s a conspiracy headed up by ‘Big Stuff’ to keep us all buying more ‘stuff’.
I mean, has a week ever passed that you didn’t need more ‘stuff’?
If ‘Big Stuff’ made better quality ‘stuff’ that lasted longer, we wouldn’t have this problem. Instead they sell us this inferior ‘stuff’ with ‘built-in planned obsolescence’, probably made in ‘stuff’ shops overseas…
Where was I? Oh yeah. After WalMart, we got the toad washed and then went to a Carvel Ice Cream place right next door. I remembered them from years ago, but didn’t realize they were still around. I tried one of their iced coffees and it really good.
After we got home I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up the solar screens for the windshield and the front side and door windows.
We’re parked heading due west and the afternoon sun hitting that big windshield really let’s in the heat. So much so, that the AC units run continuously all afternoon trying to keep up.
This solar screen fabric is supposed to keep out 90% of the heat so we’ll see how it works.
And to think, this time last year we were being snowed on in Fairbanks.
The STS-125 Shuttle launch is still on for tomorrow afternoon so we’re still planning to head up to Cape Kennedy early tomorrow morning, probably about 6am.
Will let you know how it goes…
