Shuttle Launch Thu Dec 6th

Dave, yes, we did two different bus tours and indeed those two shots were taken from different tours - the shot with the full tank and SRBs visible was taken from a viewing area right by the Atlantic where both pads are easily visible - close enough that I'm told the noise would kill you (literally) if you were there during the launch. This was the "Up Close and Personal" tour. The standard tour took us to the Observation Tower where the other shot was taken from.

There is a third tour which we didn't manage - the "Then and Now" tour which requires security clearance and takes you to the missile bases on the Cape. I did that tour in 1994 when it was called the "Blue Tour" - the other one was called the "Red Tour" in those days.

If you went in '96 I guess the Saturn V would have been outdoors in front of the VAB? It now has its own museum which includes a recreation of the Firing Room and a very authentic reconstruction of the Apollo 8 launch complete with noise, vibration and shaking windows!

I have loads of photos which I am currently building into a gallery - I'll post a link here when it's done.

The shuttle remains docked with the ISS until the afternoon of Sat 15th Dec. The shuttle lands at Kennedy at 17:30 approx on Monday 17th Dec.

www.nasa.gov/tvschedule/xls/tvsked_rev0.xls

The above link is the tv schedule for this mission, gives you a timeline of events. The shuttle will still be attached to the ISS during the Geminids and there are some very bright passes around the 13th/14th in the early evening. Heavens above is the place for pass details for your own particular area, also for the shuttle times.

Paul,

I have many fond memories of Florida where I was fortunate to have been there for two years during an extended consulting assignment. I drove many times south on I-95 for about 60 minutes so as to reach the Kennedy Space Center and where I spent many enjoyable weekends (Interstate 95 is a major highway which runs along the US eastern coast and all the way down to the southern tip of Florida).

When I was there (1995-1996, 1997), there was an impressive "open museum" which was filled with actual rocket bodies (Mercury, Gemini, Saturn V, Titan etc) .... there was also a Shuttle on display .... there was the astronaut memorial .... and the astronaut museum.

Here are some sample photos I took back then with my film camera (no digital cameras back then):

www.astrovox.gr/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=709
www.astrovox.gr/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=713
www.astrovox.gr/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=711
www.astrovox.gr/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=716
www.astrovox.gr/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=710
www.astrovox.gr/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=708
www.astrovox.gr/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=707

OOH MAN, I HAVE TO GO THERE SOMETIME !!!

OOH MAN, I HAVE TO GO THERE SOMETIME !!!

Dave,

You will be VERY impressed and will easily spend a whole day there. When I was there last time (1997), they had three IMAX cinemas with Shuttle movies and you literally felt like being there while viewing the movies.

In relation to the Shuttle they had (still have?) on display, you were able to go into the cargo bay to see how large and structured it is as well as theability to see all kinds of instrumentation panels near the cockpit.

I showed up with my Canon A-1 and used up all the film I had with me in no time. How much I would have liked to have a digital camera with me back then and the ability to take hundreds of photos!

It is truly one impressive site!

Looks like there's a delay at least until tomorrow. Problems arose when filling the tanks (sensor faults, again...)

Dave