In May of 1999, I was fortunate to travel to the Kennedy Space Center with some of my colleagues to view the luanch of the STS 96 Space Shuttle. There are no words to describe what we saw that morning in Florida.
We arose at 2:30 AM in order to arrive at Kennedy Space Center in time to board the buses that were to take us to the viewing site. The viewing site was approximately 3.8 miles from the shuttle launch pad, which was closest of anyone watching the launch, including the launch control center.
We (im)patiently waited for the launch from the time we arrived, about 4:30AM. As we watched the sunrise behind the launch pad, the thought of a late cancellation was on everyone's mind. However, as the clock ticked down to first 20 minutes and then 9 minutes, we began to feel the real anticipation of the event that was soon going to happen.
As the clock worked its way toward blast-off, the entire gathering of guests arose as a unit to give a little of ourselves to ensure the safety of this historic trip to dock with the International Space Station.
The launch was tremendous! No one really knew what to expect, however when the sound rushed to us after about five seconds, everyone finally began to experience the full effects of the launch. As Discovery battled gravity, the sight was awesome! At one point, the smoke from the shuttle created a shadow throughout the entire sky which no one quite realized why until we watched the launch again.
This entire experience is one which I will never forget. Please enjoy the pictures.
As dawn breaks........
This
is what everyone saw an we waited for the launch.
5..4..3..2..1..
Blast-off
Discovery
begins its journey into space.
The
sound of the launch is just about to reach us.
May
"God speed", Discovery.
Notice
the Shadow.
The
Discovery
is on it way!
.
The
Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center
A
Shuttle greeted you as you entered the
Kennedy
Space Center.
I
hope you enjoyed the pictures.
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