Space Shuttle Launch, what a show!

[Bill-N-Donna]

What a show, I just watched the shuttle Endeavor launch on TV. I imagine it would have really been something to watch in person. I haven’t seen any launches on TV in a long time and there are only a few scheduled launches left. I bet most of FLA could have seen it being that it was launched at night and how it lit the night sky.

[steves]

We are probably about 60 miles from Cape Kennedy and were able to see it go up this AM. Quite a fire/light in the sky. Last year from our same place we able were see a day time launch too. Awesome sight. I envy those who've seen close up launches.

[adelmoll]

I got up to watch the launch this morning and you are correct. The whole sky lights up. It is and awesome sight. This time I was about 100 miles away so I didn't have the sound effects like we did when we were at Kennedy a few years ago.

Helen

[itaves]

I got up this morning also to see the launch. We're about 150 miles away, closer to the Gulf coast. It was still an awesome sight to see dark sky light up from the ground, and then the ball of fire going upwards!

[richfaa]

We have seen 5 shuttle launches since we have been wintering in Florida. two day and this was the third night. We saw two night launches from across the river in Titusville. The one last year was awesome. We watched this one from our Mouse Mountain Campground. We are on Florida high ground 40 line of sight miles West of the launch site. It was like a sunrise on the horizon. The horizon lit up orange followed by that orange ball of flame trailing a bright tail. It looked like a comet but going up. , About 2 mins later the flame flickered and the boosters separated. It looked like two red lights falling away behind the shuttle then the main engines lit up. From our prospective the shuttle seemed to turn towards us then made a slow left turn. It climbed higher and higher then seemed to fall back to earth but was really going over the horizon.

That was the last night launch so we were witness to history. This was STS 131 and the shuttle program ends in Sept with STS 134. STS-1 went up in April 1981 and we are done Sept 2010. we leave space to the Russians and what ever nation has the ambition to go there.It is ironic that we leave space to the very country that caused our entry into the space program in 1958.

[CasaDelSol]

We watched from about 10 miles away DIRECTLY across the water from the launch site!!! The night sky lit up like daytime and about 30 seconds after ignition the sound traveled across the water and you could feel the vibration!! I will try to upload pictures. We feel so fortunate to have witnessed the last night time launch and are going to try for one of the daytime launches....Joanie

[db_engineer]

My last year in the Air Force, Sep '92 - Oct '93, was spent at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, across the river from KSC. While there I saw numerous launches, including several shuttle launches (some from the causeway, by the VIP stands), Atlas and Titan missile launches - both day and night. Glorious sights!

For those who may not know, Florida Today online has a schedule of the next few launches at http://www.floridatoday.com/content/...ch/index.shtml.