The trip to see the launch went off without a hitch.
We visited an end of the year Bash in Orlando, headed over to another friends house for a sleepover & some pool time. Then picked up lunch at Publix, (met a deputy Sheriff I knew from a long ago job) and drove to the Coast on the Beeline. If you ever do the same ... leave really early, it started to get backed up. I got into Titusville and didn't have a map. So I called my friend who led me by landmarks through town to my desitantion. It was so cool to have her give directions with comments like "remember my parent's house is on the left and the Italian Restraunt we had for Reheasal Dinner is on the right ...." and so on.
We stopped where we were told and there was not one other person there. I had driven by Jetty Park and seen the crowded area there with people walking for blocks. It crossed my mind that our view might not be what I had hoped. Then, at less than 5 minutes until liftoff, there were 20 plus cars parking and locals stand in small groups together. The launch was amazing. I know we were a few miles away, but it looked so big! We didn't hear anything at first, just that billowing smoke cloud and bright point of light pushing up into the sky. When the noise came it wasn't the deafening roar I remembered from college, but the kids heard it as thunder coming from across the field. I was able to get some video of it as well as a couple photos with the kids in them.
Then we headed home. What a full two days that was!
At home, we checked out NASA's website for kids and found a daily "report" from Buzz Lightyear who was a passenger on this mission. They also had activities/games that had to do with the mission and other space education. Very neat. I found out that Snoopy has also been a passenger on a NASA mission. It is the NASA Kid's Club and below is the link:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html
I am looking forward to the next launch. If it is a night launch, I may take the kids and spend money to be closer.
We visited an end of the year Bash in Orlando, headed over to another friends house for a sleepover & some pool time. Then picked up lunch at Publix, (met a deputy Sheriff I knew from a long ago job) and drove to the Coast on the Beeline. If you ever do the same ... leave really early, it started to get backed up. I got into Titusville and didn't have a map. So I called my friend who led me by landmarks through town to my desitantion. It was so cool to have her give directions with comments like "remember my parent's house is on the left and the Italian Restraunt we had for Reheasal Dinner is on the right ...." and so on.
We stopped where we were told and there was not one other person there. I had driven by Jetty Park and seen the crowded area there with people walking for blocks. It crossed my mind that our view might not be what I had hoped. Then, at less than 5 minutes until liftoff, there were 20 plus cars parking and locals stand in small groups together. The launch was amazing. I know we were a few miles away, but it looked so big! We didn't hear anything at first, just that billowing smoke cloud and bright point of light pushing up into the sky. When the noise came it wasn't the deafening roar I remembered from college, but the kids heard it as thunder coming from across the field. I was able to get some video of it as well as a couple photos with the kids in them.
Then we headed home. What a full two days that was!
At home, we checked out NASA's website for kids and found a daily "report" from Buzz Lightyear who was a passenger on this mission. They also had activities/games that had to do with the mission and other space education. Very neat. I found out that Snoopy has also been a passenger on a NASA mission. It is the NASA Kid's Club and below is the link:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html
I am looking forward to the next launch. If it is a night launch, I may take the kids and spend money to be closer.
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