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Date: 07 Dec 2006 05:04:45
From: Uncle Bob
Subject: Holy cow, I'm in Florida and it's launch day (maybe)!
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It's all about the weather today. Partly cloudy now with some
convection seen offshore.
A cold front is approaching the area and if it blows through quickly,
some northerly winds may back it up and blow the clouds out. That's
the hope at this point, anyway.
I'm about an 1.5 hours N of KSC in Flagler Beach. Nice little stretch
of the coast. Had a taste of gator tail yesterday in St. Augustine.
Could have been cat for all I know. Shrimp are great here, though.
Saw a store that sold stuffed alligator heads. Very strange. Asked the
owner where I could get some Rebel Yell, and he just looked at me real
funny-like.
OK. Time to get out and get me some grits and eggs.
Respect!
Uncle Bob
Flagler Beach Florida (TDY)
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Date: 07 Dec 2006 13:19:06
From: Algomeysa2
Subject: Re: Holy cow, I'm in Florida and it's launch day (maybe)!
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"Uncle Bob" <realonespam@bogusnet.net > wrote in message
news:1165496685.287261.304690@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...
> It's all about the weather today. Partly cloudy now with some
> convection seen offshore.
I was going to drive down there with a friend from Atlanta to watch the
shuttle night launch, but events transpired against us and we scrubbed the
mission.
Last I heard, the weather was only 30% likely to be good for a launch today.
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Date: 07 Dec 2006 22:07:36
From: Uncle Bob
Subject: Re: Holy cow, I'm in Florida and it's launch day (maybe)!
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Algomeysa2 wrote:
> "Uncle Bob" <realonespam@bogusnet.net> wrote in message
> news:1165496685.287261.304690@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...
> > It's all about the weather today. Partly cloudy now with some
> > convection seen offshore.
>
> I was going to drive down there with a friend from Atlanta to watch the
> shuttle night launch, but events transpired against us and we scrubbed the
> mission.
>
> Last I heard, the weather was only 30% likely to be good for a launch today.
You saved yourself a good, long drive for nothing (depends on what your
definition of "nothing" is). Very dramatic scene for the night launch.
Cold front crept across Florida, leaving low clouds that almost totally
obscured the moon rising alongside the pad.
With the clouds and the strong high-intensity lighting on the pad, the
Discovery's shadow was projected onto the cloud deck, but upside-down.
Looked very much like a "Bat Signal" from a Batman episode. There was a
lot of noise at the Visitor Complex until the 20 minute hold came off,
and then it slowly started to become still, until you could just hear
the wind and the slapping halyards on the aluminum flagpoles. With one
minute left in the launch window, you could hear a pin drop. Absolutely
unreal. The air was thick, the bat-signal undulating on the moving
cloud deck, the terse communications...You could hear the discussion
going back and forth between the vehicle and launch control. With 30
seconds left in the launch window, there was talk of some last-minute
analysis. Then I heard the word "scrub".
And so, boys and girls, the clock on the clubhouse wall says it's time
for us all to go.
Maybe 20,000 people showed up on a cloudy, damp Florida Thursday.
These people were pulling for the weather to lift, but to no avail.
They dropped some serious disposable income at the visitor center
concessions, cleaning out most of the STS-116 Navy pull-overs. And
they'll be back again on Saturday, with a projected (as of this
afternoon) scrub likelyhood of 60 percent. And Sunday, which looks
much more promising. I think the window slips 10-20 minutes earlier
on each succesive day, so by Sunday it should still be a night launch.
I can loiter until Wednesday, but then I have to beat it back to
Fairfax, CA to feed my cat.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get to see this fantastic
event in person for once.
Pulling for Clear Skies!
Uncle Bob
Flagler Beach, Florida
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Date: 09 Dec 2006 07:09:24
From: Uncle Bob
Subject: Re: Holy cow, I'm in Florida and it's launch day (again!)
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Greetings, my brothers and sisters:
Today (Sunday) the weather is much improved over the first launch
window that resulted in a scrub. Yesterday was very windy (25kts+) but
now it seems to be blowing out. I did see a commercial flight crossing
over at 10,000'. Flight path was 180 but heading was 220. So a lot of
crab angle was necessary in order to maintain flight path, indicating
strong winds aloft. That's not good, but I'm 80 mi N of Titusville.
Things could be a little different down there, especially in 10 hours
or so when the launch window opens.
The only real bummer about a scrubbed launch, aside from the scrub
itself, it the traffic leaving KSC. Two lane causeway exiting the
facility means lots of wait time. But it's worth it.
I can't say enough about the mood on the site when 20,000+ people
are all pulling for the same event to occur. It borders on a "spiritual
experience", as some would say. It's what folks in Fairfax, CA would
call "positive energy" ;-). It's FUN and it feels all warm and fuzzy
and patriotic and all that. But it's more than just nationalism. It's
very special to see a civilization taking its first baby steps to the
stars.
So, of course, if there's a chance of seeing a launch, it's well
worth it to drive for an hour to get there. And that's just what I'm
going to do. I think I will try to shoot a lot more pictures this
time, of all the different people there. A substantial number of people
there are from other countries--a lot of europeans, Japanese,
Austrailians--entire families somehow book a flight to get here for
launch day. It's pretty obvious that it's not just Americans who are
interested in manned space flight.
So keep your fingers crossed for STS-116 this evening. Godspeed and
all that.
Uncle Bob
Fairfax, CA (TDY Flagler Beach, FL)
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