Chapter 3: LAUNCH DAY

The day we were waiting for finally arrived: Launch Day. We woke up and went to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, complete with the sights, sounds and experiences of the famous astronauts who first ventured into space. The Hall of Fame also has exhibits with a large collection of memorabilia and realistic astronaut training simulators. Brett got to pretend he was a pilot landing a shuttle. Chapel complimented him on his landing, but said she herself did not have such a smooth ride!

Later we travelled to SPACE VIEW PARK and it was there that we got a true taste of what launch day was all about. It was like some college sporting event! Tailgating, radios, people with lawn chairs camped out on top of their vehicles by the water for a glimpse of the shuttle heading up. It was an awesome mix of patriotism and civic pride. We were in awe and excited to be a part of the historic event. Like true tailgaters, we made our way to KFC and then back to Steve's house to wait for the launch. And just as scheduled, the shuttle went up at 2:28 exactly. We were all on the end of the dock, including Steve, and the smoke and fire were visible about 60 seconds before we actually heard the rumbling make its way across the water. It was a truly magical moment. In the words of Chapel Barker, "it was awesome." It is actually so hard to believe that people are belted in this huge rocket and within 8 minutes they are in orbit. But having seen it with my own eyes, I can truly say it is a miracle of science and a testament to the American spirit. It saddens me that this chapter in American History will end within the next year. I am honored that my family had an opportunity to witness history being made.

At the Hall of Fame:

Space View Park

Chapel developed a little crush on Alan Shepard after seeing him in a video.

Me enjoying the KFC.

Our view of the launch.

The NASA view!