Shuttle's return

[Humphrey]

Me and my Wife are planning to go and watch the return of the Shuttle launches in May. Any of you who are in the area are welcome to come. Not sure where we will watch it, depending on how busy it is we might just watch from a nearby beach, or try to get closer. But with security nowadays and how packed i assume it will be, i think the beach is a better idea.

[A Thousand Pardons]

I'll be with you all in spirit :)

[Grendl]

Tickets go on sale at 9:00 am this Morning, April 4th. I am going to try to get tickets, since I will be there. I'm glad my PC at work is fast. Here's the link, thanks to Sts60:
http://www.ksctickets.com/kennedyspacecenter/ltt.html

Now, if you take my ticket.... :lol:

Considering the article I read in the Houston Chronicle, I don't have my hopes up that it will happen on May 15th or that week. If not, I can give my tickets to my sister and brother-in-law who live in Orlando. Considering they've never even visited NASA KSC yet, it'll make me cry, but those are the breaks.

See you there!

Yeah, right, amidst the hundreds of people. :o

Edit: JSC to KSC

[Humphrey]

Damit. Sold Out.

Now i have to find another place to view. Anyone who has been there, any suggestions? .

[Grendl]

Damit. Sold Out.

Now i have to find another place to view. Anyone who has been there, any suggestions? .
What happened? That's why I posted it early. I got my ticket at 8:55 am, but when I looked after lunch, oh about 3:00 CST, there were still some tickets left in all three categories. There was a surge of purchasing around then. Oddly, at one point it said the Lunch w/ Astronaut package was sold out, but then there were tickets on sale again. Who knows what the deal was.

A place you can go, where I would have gone to see the satellite launch, is at Port Canaveral. I talked to a local (and I mean a real local) and he said the viewing is excellent. You can't go any more north up the beach than that.

Here's the place. You see the cruiseships across the canal. Anywhere along Cocoa Beach will be fine and since the shuttle goes east over the water there won't be any tree or building blockage. Of course, I've been told by my brother-in-law, that people just stop their cars off 95 or wherever they are. People on cruiseships will have a good view--don't know what they do with them, but obviously they must stay docked at that time.

You take 520 to headed to Cocoa Beach. Then turn left off the causeway.
I'm sure any place around Titusville, Rocklege or down the beach to Indialantic (where my favorite beach bar is :D ) is fine too. I happen to prefer beaches in general, so....

See Close-up of barge canal Jetty Maritime Park (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&&csz=Cape+Canaveral+FL+&Get%A0Map =Get+Map)

Overview of area. (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&&csz=Cape+Canaveral+FL+&Get%A0Map =Get+Map) The launch pad is just above that gray hook where the Banana River thins out. The green areas are your parks, but people will park anywhere they can get away with. (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&&csz=Cape+Canaveral+FL+&Get%A0Map =Get+Map)

See, I took this picture looking across from the park towards the cruiseships. There are a bunch of pelicans who hang out there; people fish in the canal, as well. I don't know...just look for that building with the fish on it--that's from the smaller park, further down is where ships are, near that Jetty Maritime Park is. (http://photos.bravenet.com/180/553/738/4/E296487281.jpg)

http://pub22.bravenet.com/photocenter/remote/1805537384/B6258F3541.jpg

[Grendl]

They're not ALL sold out--this, at least, is cheaper than all the others.
http://www.ksctickets.com/kennedyspacecenter/maaclavifrke.html.

That's cool though--6 miles, but a straight shot over the gantry. I can deal with that, but I don't have my hopes up. :(

http://store1.yimg.com/I/kennedyspacecenter_1840_93532

[Mars]

There is a Chevron on A1A that gives a perfect view across the water. I'm going to try and make it...only 3 hours away!!

[Humphrey]

Yah i had to ask the wife..I told her they would sell out today and i asked her to book them while i was at class today. She waited till i got home and they were sold out . :-(

Sigh....

But thanks alot for the directions to places . we were thinking of coco beach. that might be a nice place, but if you say port canaveral is better, we will go there. Apreciate it man. :-)

[Humphrey]

They're not ALL sold out--this, at least, is cheaper than all the others.
http://www.ksctickets.com/kennedyspacecenter/maaclavifrke.html.

That's cool though--6 miles, but a straight shot over the gantry. I can deal with that, but I don't have my hopes up. :(

http://store1.yimg.com/I/kennedyspacecenter_1840_93532

Yah i saw they. They put that up after the other tickets went sold out. But sadly it just does not seem worth it spending the money if i cant see it on the pad launching.

Next time im getting the tickets right away. I love my wife, really i do, but she is cheap as heck and very undecisive. She wanted to discuss the tickets with me before sepnding $100. Its not like we are lacking in money, we have lots actually. Just thast she never spends any of it!

How do you find out when they are going to be sold?

[Grendl]

They're not ALL sold out--this, at least, is cheaper than all the others.
http://www.ksctickets.com/kennedyspacecenter/maaclavifrke.html.

That's cool though--6 miles, but a straight shot over the gantry. I can deal with that, but I don't have my hopes up. :(

http://store1.yimg.com/I/kennedyspacecenter_1840_93532

Yah i saw they. They put that up after the other tickets went sold out. But sadly it just does not seem worth it spending the money if i cant see it on the pad launching.

Next time im getting the tickets right away. I love my wife, really i do, but she is cheap as heck and very undecisive. She wanted to discuss the tickets with me before sepnding $100. Its not like we are lacking in money, we have lots actually. Just thast she never spends any of it!

How do you find out when they are going to be sold?
Well, if it doesn't launch during the week I'm there, I'll sell you my ticket at a sale price. However, I only have one ticket and your wife might not like being left behind the treeline. [-X I'm sorry you didn't get at least the $50 launch transportation--I was sure you would since, as I said, they were available into the afternoon, but you will also have a second chance.

Sts60 had posted this link for me where I signed up AND put in my vacation dates. Yesterday I got an email reminder that tickets were going on sale this morning. I put a post-it-note on my door so I wouldn't forget.

See this page:
http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/eventSignUp.asp

I don't know the Chevron Mars is talking about, but I would just take 520 to A1A and see what looks good to you. Maybe you can meet Mars at the Chevron?

[Humphrey]

yah my post came out funny. Im not mad at my wife at all. Just wish she didnt wait. Getting emption across on the net is hard, all those words get in the way. But those who know me know that iwas not mad. :-)

My wifes brother said he knows a decent area with a good view, so eother that or coco beach, or port canaveral. one of the three.

I was going for the $37 one after the $50 sold out. But then i saw that it was not a diect view/ Im sure it would be very close and very nice, but sadly i would rather get the same view for free.

Once again, thanks guys. i apreicate it. :-)

[Swift]

From CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/04/05/shuttle.rollout/index.html)
That vision will inch closer toward reality Wednesday when Discovery leaves its hangar for an eight-hour, four-mile journey to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

[Grendl]

My boss came to my desk this morning to tell me the news said there was a 50/50 chance it would launch on May 15th. I'd have preferred something more like 70/30 or better. :cry:

I'd consider changing my plane ticket ONCE, but only if they set a date which the only delay would be caused by weather. I can deal with that.

Oh, well, it's begun its crawl....

[Swift]

Oh, well, it's begun its crawl....
And you know what they say...
You have to crawl before you can fly! :D

[mopc]

The Return of the Living Shuttle!!! Romero for NASA manager!

[kucharek]

[These photos] of the Kennedy Space Center and the STS-114 flight hardware [were] taken by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao from the International Space Station during the rollout of the Space Shuttle Discovery and its stack. The spacecraft can be seen atop the giant crawler/transporter at photo center about half way en route to Launch Complex 39 from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23032.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23035.html

[Nicolas]

=D> amazing pictures! What kind of camera did he use to get such good pictures (and aim correctly)? I know the ISS doesn't fly that high, but still this is impressive work!

Rather sharp turns in those roads by the way.

[Grendl]

This link is easy to look at and you can blow up the satellite image to a very large image. I was downloading some yesterday; I like the one of the shuttle in sunset and the way it looks popping over the tree line. Also, I like the one with the cars on the first page--gives a better sense of scale ratio of car to crawler.

Employees were very excited and cheering. I can't wait to go!

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=42


Edit typos

[Grendl]

=D> amazing pictures! What kind of camera did he use to get such good pictures (and aim correctly)? I know the ISS doesn't fly that high, but still this is impressive work!

Rather sharp turns in those roads by the way.
I'll say the shuttle came to a crossroads! (same link as above)

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/thumbnails/05pd0606-t.jpg

[Parrothead]

After 45 years the crawlers (http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/sts_rollout.htm) are used to the trek. :wink:

[Humphrey]

Im just happy to say my dad produces the lubricants for the machinery of the crawler. :-)

Link (http://www.spacetechhalloffame.org/techdetails.cfm?techid=000F010C-13E8-1E9F-B88FA24BD83A385F)

Ive shown this before, so those of you who have been around have seen it :-)]

[Swift]

[These photos] of the Kennedy Space Center and the STS-114 flight hardware [were] taken by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao from the International Space Station during the rollout of the Space Shuttle Discovery and its stack. The spacecraft can be seen atop the giant crawler/transporter at photo center about half way en route to Launch Complex 39 from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23032.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23035.html
8)
I guess the caption is "Hey look, our ride is coming to pick us up!" :D

[kucharek]

[These photos] of the Kennedy Space Center and the STS-114 flight hardware [were] taken by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao from the International Space Station during the rollout of the Space Shuttle Discovery and its stack. The spacecraft can be seen atop the giant crawler/transporter at photo center about half way en route to Launch Complex 39 from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23032.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23035.html
8)
I guess the caption is "Hey look, our ride is coming to pick us up!" :D
Yeah! After East Coast Customs pimped it for two years... :D

[Nicolas]

:D

I wonder if it has 3 Xboxes in the trunk :)

Any info about the camera and ways used in the space station to take that pic?

[jrkeller]

Im just happy to say my dad produces the lubricants for the machinery of the crawler. :-)

Link (http://www.spacetechhalloffame.org/techdetails.cfm?techid=000F010C-13E8-1E9F-B88FA24BD83A385F)

Ive shown this before, so those of you who have been around have seen it :-)]

So you are your father must be part of the Moon Hoax? :lol: :lol:

[Swift]

[These photos] of the Kennedy Space Center and the STS-114 flight hardware [were] taken by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao from the International Space Station during the rollout of the Space Shuttle Discovery and its stack. The spacecraft can be seen atop the giant crawler/transporter at photo center about half way en route to Launch Complex 39 from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23032.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/html/iss010e23035.html
8)
I guess the caption is "Hey look, our ride is coming to pick us up!" :D
Yeah! After East Coast Customs pimped it for two years... :D
:lol:
Yo NASA! Pimp my ride!
http://theyuans.net/hello/68/1433/320/pimpmyride.jpg
http://www.ascap.com/about/history/images/mtv.jpg
NASA installing the new sub-woofers in the cargo bay.
http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/X-Press/2001/Mar30/images/cargobay.jpg

[Grendl]

Im just happy to say my dad produces the lubricants for the machinery of the crawler. :-)

Link (http://www.spacetechhalloffame.org/techdetails.cfm?techid=000F010C-13E8-1E9F-B88FA24BD83A385F)

Ive shown this before, so those of you who have been around have seen it :-)]
Lubricants are always a good thing...yeah, Dad!

[Grendl]

=D> amazing pictures! What kind of camera did he use to get such good pictures (and aim correctly)? I know the ISS doesn't fly that high, but still this is impressive work!

Rather sharp turns in those roads by the way.
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao used a digital camera April 6 to photograph the rollout of the Space Shuttle Discovery at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center from an altitude of 220 statute miles. Chiao captured the rollout at 4:35 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time as the Station flew directly over the launch site. Visible in the image are the Shuttle’s two launch pads at Launch Complex 39. Discovery’s launch pad, 39-B, is on the left.

Maybe you can find something here: http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/station/

[Nicolas]

I didn't found anything, onoly that they made other pictures using a high magnification lense. I assume a standard digital camera can't pinpoint and resolve a shuttle from more than 200 km?

[Grendl]

I didn't found anything, onoly that they made other pictures using a high magnification lense. I assume a standard digital camera can't pinpoint and resolve a shuttle from more than 200 km?

Commander Leroy Chiao used a digital camera April 6 to photograph the rollout of the Space Shuttle Discovery at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center from an altitude of 220 statute miles...Chiao used the same lens arrangement for the photograph that will be used by the next Station crew to photograph Discovery's heat shield as it approaches the Station on its Return to Flight. The imagery the Station crew will take of Discovery as it approaches is one of several new things that will be done to provide imagery to be used in assessing the health of the Shuttle.

I don't have a digital camera, just a 35mm SLR, so I'm not really familiar with digital lenses. 220 statute miles...well, that shuttle looks like a speck.

No more time to look into it, Nicolas. Look for where they talk about photographing the shuttle approaching the ISS.

[Nicolas]

I didn't find that part, that was the problem :).

Thanks for looking it up. I have really little time now, I'm in my finals.
The Shuttle (which is about 50m high) , looks only a few pixels high indeed. Still Impressive to find it and be able to see it. That will be a little bit more than a standard lense :).

I still think it is impressive that this handheld camera can photograph such things.

[Humphrey]

Im just happy to say my dad produces the lubricants for the machinery of the crawler. :-)

Link (http://www.spacetechhalloffame.org/techdetails.cfm?techid=000F010C-13E8-1E9F-B88FA24BD83A385F)

Ive shown this before, so those of you who have been around have seen it :-)]

So you are your father must be part of the Moon Hoax? :lol: :lol:

Nah. Hes just part of the coverup for the dead BABB'ers on the moon and thenNazi base there.

[jrkeller]

So what's your role in the moon hoax?

[Nicolas]

I tuned the whistles

[kucharek]

With a little help from some friends...

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/rtf_flash/start.html

Well, as they go with Discovery, they should have asked Keir Dullea for a few words...

[Argos]

No flight till july (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/orl-bk-nasa042805,0,7071113.story?coll=sfla-news-florida)?

[ToSeek]

No flight till july (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/orl-bk-nasa042805,0,7071113.story?coll=sfla-news-florida)?

NASA Watch (http://www.nasawatch.com/index.html) concurs.

Spaceref article. (http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1019)

[ToSeek]

Return to flight has a special significance for some:

Echoes of Columbia (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-asecsurvivors22052205may22,0,6830597.story?coll=or l-home-promo)

It is a world that is about to accelerate once again for Lani McCool and the other family members of the seven Columbia astronauts, who are often called upon to attend memorial events and anniversaries to honor their loved ones.

Even so, the next major event will be a daunting one. NASA has invited the relatives to be present, in VIP seating at the Kennedy Space Center, when the shuttle Discovery is launched.

[Moose]

*lol* The crawlers are named Hans and Franz. Appropriate!

[mopc]

So when's the launch gonna be now???