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Shuttle Launch Idea

bsacks05

Well Known Member
Looks like I may have a good idea to see the shuttle launch early Wednesday morning. Whaddya think?

Since the TFR goes into effect tomorrow night after 10 pm, shouldn't I be able to fly into Merritt Island, say around 7:00 pm, check into a motel, and then wake up early to see the shuttle launch at 5:40am Wednesday?
Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions regarding accommodations on Merritt? Camping with your RV, perhaps?
 
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Sounds to me like it should work. There is an 80% chance of favorable weather for launch.

Paul
 
Mee Too!!!

We are in Daytona tonight. Touring the KSC Visitor Center tomorrow. We will be there to see STS-127 launch the rest of the gang into orbit! Is it not a 5:20AM launch? Dark launches are the best!

Paul remember to smile my gang will be watching a lot! Godspeed and good luck friend!

In-plain Launch time is 05:41 - the window is plus or minus a few minutes on that. Paul
 
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You guys should have one beautiful launch if she does go up at 5:40am. It will still be dark out, but the shuttle will quickly gain enough altitude that the morning sun should light up the exhaust trail from somewhere over the horizon. I've seen this on several night/evening launches, and it truly is spectacular. Wish I wasn't in San Diego this week. Take lots of pics.
 
I going down tonight also to see the shuttle launch. This will be my fist time.
I hope everything goes ok with the 5:40AM launch. Make it happen Paul.
 
Hi Bruce-
The closest hotel to the Merritt Island Airport is the Clarion located on SR 520. Its about five blocks from the airport and I'm sure you could get an airport pickup. If not, give me a call at 321-759-2598 and I'll deliver you there. :)

Gerry Peterson
Merritt Island, FL
 
We did just that this past week end. Flew down to Merritt Firday evening, arriving at 7 PM and checked into the Hilton. Got up at 4:30 and drove about an hour to a primo spot on the beach with nothing between us and the shuttle except the water. Then someone with an iphone gets the news that it had been scrubbed at 1 AM! Carol kept telling me to check, but I thought since this one was the backup for the rescue for the last mission, it was a sure thing. So much for doing my own thinking!
Allow yourself about 2 hours to get to a parking spot. All of the hotels were sold out this past week end. We managed to get in using points. I'd actually like to go back tonight, but need to be in Atlanta for interviews in the AM. :(

Good Luck.

Vic
 
Welcome to Florida in Springtime, Boys!

That was the transmission we heard as the Jax controller set us off on a HUGE deviation on our way from mid-GA to Merritt Island. When we left the house the sat and radar images looked fine but within an hour the whole thing blew up into a huge cell of t-storms and even some hail. :eek:
We were vectored west just about to the gulf coast, then south, then southeast, then northeast to Merritt landing about 7:30pm.
Now, we're sitting in our motel room after a seafood dinner listening to the rain and thunder. If there is lightning within 5 miles they can't fuel the shuttle so things aren't looking so good. Guess we'll find out soon. :eek:
Did I mentioned that ATC personnel are incredible? Man, do they have skills. Orlando airspace with torrential storms, big planes, little planes, pilot requests....I'm sure they aren't paid enough.
 
Another shuttle delay

From a NASA press release today..in part:

"FUEL LEAK AGAIN POSTPONES LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA postponed the launch of space shuttle
Endeavour's STS-127 mission Wednesday because of a leak associated
with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle's
external fuel tank.

Endeavour's next launch opportunity is July 11. This date comes after
the end of an orbital sun-angle condition called a beta angle
cut-out, which occurs between June 22 and July 10......"

There may be another launch this week of a moon probe. I would have to research launch time/date but it may be tomorrow.


Here is some info from FloridayToday.com:

http://tinyurl.com/l3sbbx

"Almost 40 years after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, NASA this week hopes to launch a pair of satellites that could pave the way for a future generation to return.
Advertisement

Though footprints and rovers remain on the lunar surface, surprisingly little is known about the places astronauts would likely explore next.

"Our knowledge of the whole moon, especially the polar regions, is actually quite poor," said Craig Tooley, project manager for the $511 million Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, or LRO. "We have much better maps of Mars than we do of our own moon."

Picking up from Apollo precursor missions and more recent international efforts, LRO will map the cratered satellite in the greatest detail yet over the course of a year to scout out landing sites and resources that could support a human outpost.

Launching with it atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is a $79 million sister mission that plans a lunar double-whammy.

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, will steer the Atlas V's Centaur upper stage on a collision course with a permanently shadowed crater on the south pole.

The spacecraft will then fly through the plume created by the Centaur -- visible through amateur telescopes on Earth -- to search for evidence of frozen water, before crashing itself.

The Atlas V and the two payloads could blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41 as early as 5:12 p.m. Thursday. If space shuttle Endeavour launches today as planned, the targeted liftoff time would move to 6:41 p.m. Friday."

I don't know if the launch date is Thursday or Friday.
 
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I know these kind of delays disappoint a lot of people - especially those that have traveled to see the launch. But at least those of you on the forums that did so got a nice little RV travel out of it...I hope!

This problem is a puzzler, and everyone that has worked on an experimental flying machine should feel right at home. If you think you have it all figured out, you probably don't yet fully understand the problem! There's always another chance to fly.

Paul
 
missed launch had great weekend anyway

Paul
We appreciate the care taken to assure that the shuttle flights are safe for the astronauts. Although we missed the launch due to the hydrogen leak, we had two beautiful airplane flights and a very nice weekend in Florida.
 
Me and my son went down yesterday evening and worked our way around the thunder stroms with JAX center And Orlandos help. Never would have made Merritt island without them. Thanks Guys. Anyway me and the son had a great trip and good vist with Bruce. Maybe JULY 11.
 
Paul, the complexity of the Shuttle is amazing to all of us. So far, I've been able to fly down and see 3 of them go. So, we know what we are up against when we leave. Carol and I stayed 2 days anyway and had a blast. The only dissappointment was that the nature preserve stayed closed due to the no-launch.

Vic
 
Just returned from Merritt. It was very good to meet up and have dinner with Brent and son. Too bad about the shuttle, but at least it was a great first time experience flying to Merritt. The Luna Sea Motel, rental car, and breakfast worked out really well also.
We did get a very nice aerial view of the shuttle assembly building, launch pad, and the little 'ole landing strip.
It seemed to be calling us to do a touch and go...maybe no one would notice....ATC: "9DB turn left 10 degrees to remain clear of restricted airspace..." well, maybe not. :rolleyes:

Here's yesterday's humungous deviation for storms and today's track straight to home base
http://aprs.fi/?call=KJ4EFS&mt=m&z=11&timerange=172800
 
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those were the days..........

seems like yesterday when you could get cleared to do a low approach on the 15,000 ft runway at the space center. is there any longer runways that you could do that? those were the days.............
img1044fdu.jpg
 
How about 6 Delays

When I was young, thin and good looking, I used to photograph STS launches at KSC for a variety of press organizations. Columbia was originally scheduled for a December 18, 1985 launch. STS-61C was delayed at least 6 times for mechanical and weather issues, finally launching in January 12, 1986. The kicker for me personally, was the fact that my wife in Savannah, GA was 7 months pregnant with our first and with every scrub of the launch, I was making a 600 mile round trip. If at all possible, she expected me next to her every night. It was somewhat frustrating, but I pointed out to one of my colleagues from the Orlando Sentinel that at least we were able to leave after a scrub, those guys were in quarintine. Of note it was the first space flight for soon to be head of NASA Charlie Bolden and the last space flight for a civilian, US Representative from Florida, Bill Nelson, before the Challenger disaster, two weeks later.

My experience with shuttle launches is that you never really know if one will go until the engines ignite on the SRBs. Hang in there and keep trying. I've witnessed over 30 launches through the lenses of many cameras, at many locations at KSC and every one was a unique experience, an experience that should remind us all of the pride of being Americans. I will be attending the final launch and landing(if at KSC) and know, as Paul states that we are dealing with an extraordinary experimental aircraft. I know I will not miss that launch and if you have to make as many trips as I did in 1985/1986 to witness the launch of STS-61C, it will be worth every effort.

Good luck and fly safe!
 
seems like yesterday when you could get cleared to do a low approach on the 15,000 ft runway at the space center. is there any longer runways that you could do that? those were the days.............
img1044fdu.jpg

That must have been a VERY long time ago Ed...the Shuttle runway at KSC is 15/33, so if that is a corrrect picture, the change in magnetic deviation would have taken what...a thousand years or so?;)

Landing there in a light plane like an RV is very odd - you tend to flare about 200 feet in the air because it is so long and so wide - your mind just doesn't grasp it.
 
incorrect pic

your right paul. that was landing an R-44 at provo, turks and caicos islands in jan 08. i put it in for the effect. it was probably 2000 when i flew the shuttle runway. how little i knew back then. no computer, no digital camera, was there VAF then? life moves to fast. thank god for these rv's. life is good.
 
Long Runways

That must have been a VERY long time ago Ed...the Shuttle runway at KSC is 15/33, so if that is a corrrect picture, the change in magnetic deviation would have taken what...a thousand years or so?;)

Landing there in a light plane like an RV is very odd - you tend to flare about 200 feet in the air because it is so long and so wide - your mind just doesn't grasp it.

For LONG runways how about Castle Airfield, (formerly a B52 base), at 11,800 ft. not including two 800 ft. over runs it isn't as long as KSC, but still pretty long. The runway is also 400 ft wide, so I'm sure some hot shot RV pilot could land across the runway! Castle is easily visible when flying over Merced (Macready) when the runway is 10 miles away. So much concrete it has it's own micro climate. You can fly in anytime and visit the air museum, it is great.
Bill Jepson
 
KMHW

Moses Lake, WA

Runway 14L/32R
Dimensions: 13503 x 200 ft.

Apparently the airlines do some 747 training there.
 
My daughter and I flew to Kissimmee from Houston last week for the launch in our RV8. Needless to say we were bummed out the launch didn't happen but are glad Nasa's being safe. We consoled ourselves by spending 2 days at Disney.

Luis Luciani
RV8
 
Hey Luis, I met you at one of the RV flyins at Weiser.

My family also went to Kissimmee to see the launch. What a bummer. I work at JSC and have wanted to see a launch like that all my life (especially before the shuttle retires) and wanted to share it with the kids. So my family and I went to Florida on the 12th to see the launch on the 13th. Scrubbed. And we went to Disney too. Got the word for launch on the 17th. Scrubbed. Very disappointing. We also went to the Keys which was great. I think I'll try again after they understand the fuel leak problem better!
 
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