This picture was taken of Discovery on Pad 39A back in October 2010. The Rotating Service Structure (RSS) is in place protecting the Shuttle while payload is being loaded.

New launch dates were set in December but after cracks were discovered in the external tank these dates also passed and Shuttle Discovery was moved back into the Vehicle Assembly Building on Kennedy Space Center.

Repairs were made to the external tank and a new launch date was set for February 24, 2011. On January 31, 2011 Space Shuttle Discovery was again rolled out to launch pad 39A to be prepared for the historic final launch.

Sandy and I decided to make plans to drive down to view the February 24 launch. We took Thursday and Friday off work and planned to drive down at least most of the way on Wednesday night. We followed the mission status updates closely and it looked like all was going well for a launch on the 24th. We made plans to hang out a couple of days in the event Discovery did not fly on the 24th.

On the trip down a twitter update from NASA saying that Discovery was “Go” for launch and a 90% chance of favorable weather got us excited about the launch and I was checking #sts133 on twitter and the SpaceFlightNow mission status center regularly for updates. We drove well into the night and stopped for a rest in St. Augustine, FL.

Thursday morning we were up early, had a quick breakfast in the hotel, and then we were back on the road to Titusville. We arrived in Titusville just after 9:00 AM and there were already a lot of people in town, many had camped over night and we heard that some had even been there for several days. The main part of Space View Park was already packed with people but we found a nice spot in the shade on the south side of the park near the water. We did not know it at the time but we were in a prime spot to view the launch from the park.

The launch was scheduled for 4:50 PM EST and it was just a wait till then. A nap or two, an occasional walk to stretch out, chatting with some of the folks around us, and a 30 minute or so wait in the bathroom line to pass the time. There were people from all over, a group from Washington state behind us, a couple from Michigan beside us, some other folks from West Virginia, just people from everywhere there to see this historic launch. Some of them had witnessed past launches, others had not, and others, like us, had been there for the past scrubbed attempts and hoping that this time Discovery would fly.

A family in front of us had been there over night and had a large tent set up. They broke camp at about 3:00 PM and in an instant the empty area where the tent had been filled in with people. A few minutes later a couple in front of us would move to try and get just a couple feet closer and because of this we ended up with an incredible unobstructed view of the launch pad.

At around 4:30 PM you could feel the energy in the crowd as the time for launch neared. A speaker system was set up in the main area of the park and we were just in ear shot of it. Just before launch there was some talk on an issue with range safety, turns out this was a problem with a computer system used by the range safety officer. There was a count down of the time remaining in the launch window before the launch would have to be scrubbed for another day.

Then at 4:53 PM, just minutes before the launch window closed, Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from launch pad 39A on it’s final mission. Cheers and applause from the crowd gave way to the clicks of camera shutters and then more cheers.

About a minute into the flight you could hear the rumble of the engines and you could feel the ground vibrate. At about 2 minutes into the flight the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) separated from the main fuel tank as the shuttle continued on. In the light sky it was hard to see this but the camera picked up the two boosters moving away and the bright light from the shuttles main engines. In just over 3 minutes the shuttle and the 6 astronauts within it are beyond Earth’s atmosphere and in SPACE, in just over 8 minutes Discovery is in orbit on the way to rendezvous with the International Space Station. That is absolutely AMAZING!!!

To be there to see this was just incredible. Being there turned out to be both an inspiring and an emotional experience. The best I can come up with to describe it is WOW! The launch brought back memories of watching the launch of Columbia on STS-1, memories of the teachers bringing the TVs into class to watch launches during the early years of the Shuttle program when I was in middle school, memories of the tragic Challenger accident and the loss of Columbia, memories of each launch that I have watched on my computer in my office. It made me think of the courage of the crews that pilot the shuttle and all of the people that support the mission on the ground. I really cannot find the words needed to describe the feeling I felt watching Discovery lift off, I wish I could but I just keep coming back to WOW!

God speed to Discovery and crew. Have a safe and successful mission.

Some of my pictures from the launch turned out OK but I was really more into seeing and enjoying the launch than taking pictures. I am glad I did get a few good ones because I am sure I would have been upset if I had not. There is a gallery of the Discovery launch pictures here, enjoy. Sandy also took a great video of the launch which you can find here.

Seeing the launch was worth the missed attempts, the drive, the crowds, and the wait. If you have even a small chance of getting to see one of the final launches you should take it and experience a launch for yourself.

I am going to miss the shuttle program. I am glad Sandy and I were there to witness this historic final flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. I am already making plans to try to catch at least one of the two final launches of Endeavor and Atlantis.

This past weekend Sandy and I decided to take a trip down to Florida to try to catch the launch of the Shuttle Endeavour – STS-127 with was scheduled to launch at 7:17 AM on Saturday, June 13, 2009. The launch was scrubbed due to a problem with a hydrogen leak while fueling.

We did not find out about the problem and the canceled launch until we had already arrived at Space View Park in Titusville, FL at around 3:00 AM the morning of June 13th. So here are a few shots I took of the view across the river to launch pad that was all lit up.

Space Shuttle Endeavour on the Launch Pad June 13, 2009 approx 4:00 am from Space View Park Titusville, FL

Shuttle Endeavour - STS127 - June 13, 2009 - approx 4:00 AM

Suttle Endeavour on the Launch Pad at Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Endeavour - STS127

The bright “star” in the upper left of this image is the planet Venus

Venus and the Space Shuttle Endeavour on the Launch Pad at the Kennedy Space Center

Shuttle Endeavour - STS-127 - June 13, 2009

Kind of a bummed about the launch being scrubbed, still a good trip and it was neat to see the launch pad all lit up. I hope that we can make it back down there for another launch.