Space Shuttle Launch Scrubbed due to Lightning

Space Shuttle Discovery was on the launch pad for mission STS 128. We were across the Indian River, about 9.25 miles away. It is unusual to have hardly any wind when you're near the open water. It gave us the opportunity to take some photos with longer exposures.


Less than 1/2 hour later the sky opened up with rain and lightning over the launch pad. Our area was dry. This photo is a still from a video we took of the lightning. The big square on the horizon is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The space shuttle launchpad is the light spot to the left of the VAB. At 11:43pm a lightning strike was detected 6 miles east of the launch pad.


The square building silhouetted on the horizon is the VAB. I can't imagine what this must have sounded like to the astronauts waiting inside the space shuttle.

The countdown was too close (in the 9 Minute Hold) to let the storms pass and the launch was scrubbed due to the weather.

Fun in the Waves at Cocoa Beach

Here's the famous Tiki Bar at the end of The Cocoa Beach Pier. We came to the east coast to see the launch of space shuttle Discovery and stayed at a hotel on Cocoa Beach. I had never seen waves so perfectly tubular and could hardly wait to get into the water! We used body boards and rode one wave after the other.


We must have hit the beach at just the right time. The waves were coming in at even intervals. There wasn't any waiting for the perfect wave. It was more a matter of getting up again to ride the next one in.

We met a lot of nice people at the beach. There were some other Floridian couples staying at the hotel. We also met a group from Australia. The hot topic of the day was where to see the space shuttle launch.


The rocket launch towers at Cape Canaveral were visible from the beach.


We walked along the Pier and took pictures of the beach at sunset. Then we went back to the hotel to nap. The space shuttle launch was scheduled for 1:36am.

Launch Viewing Area At Banana Creek

(Click on photos for larger images.)

The VIP launch view area at Banana Creek. The square building in the background is the Apollo/Saturn V Center.


It was raining as we approached Kennedy Space Center (KSC). There was hardly any traffic and no security checkpoints. We were texting our friends that we were meeting at the launch. The New Jersey Kid had rescheduled his plane ticket again. The Orlando Crew also repurchased orange launch viewing tickets to go back to the NASA Causeway to see the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. We met at the Launch Status Center where we watched NASA TV. A KSC spokesperson talked about launch updates, explained mission details, and answered questions.

Lightning advisories cleared personnel from the exterior of the launch pad, and people at the Visitor Center were advised to move indoors. It was raining so hard at the launchpad that we couldn't see the space shuttle on NASA TV. Yet there was hardly any rain were we were. All the while they were continuing to ingress the astronauts into the space shuttle. Then it was announced that the NASA Causeway was closed due to lightning advisories. What a disappointment.

Our KSC spokesperson was getting updates through an earbud. She nodded and smiled. "You folks are in for a treat. NASA has never done this before. Orange ticket holders are going to have the unprecedented opportunity to go to the VIP viewing area by the Apollo/Saturn V Center."

They were expecting the heavy weather to pass by launch time.

I was so excited I was jumping up and down! I've been to the Apollo/Saturn V Center many times and thought how lucky I would be to be able to see a launch from that close. The historical meaning of the location also hit me. There aren't as many people here today, partly because many gave up due to all the delays. Also, the real VIP's are arriving tomorrow for the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. Endeavour is launching from the same launchpad today used to launch Apollo 11 to land the first people on the moon 40 years ago. I got goosebumps.


The crowd at Banana Creek had some interesting toys. Here someone has a parabolic microphone. Both launchpads LC39B (left) and LC39A with Endeavour (right) are on the horizon.


Launchpad LC39B is undergoing reconstruction for use in the new Constellation Program. You can see a crane in the background. It will not be used for space shuttles anymore. This launchpad will be used to test the new Ares rocket at the end of August '09. (Update: The Ares test has been rescheduled for October '09.)


Space Shuttle Endeavour is on the other side of the tower. You can see the orange External Fuel Tank and the tips of the Solid Rocket Boosters.



Here's an interesting contraption we saw by the Apollo/Saturn V Center. We think it is a telescope on a trailer.


One of the countdown clocks shows the 9 minute hold. There are several "holds" built in to the countdown clock, which starts early in the day. These holds allow launch teams to hold meetings prior to events or steps taking place. For example, there's a hold in the clock before fueling to allow the fueling team to have a meeting first, and there's a hold before the astronauts get onboard the shuttle. The Nine Minute Hold is the last hold before lift-off and it seems like the longest one of all. The crowd cheered when the clock started running again.


Helicopter Fly By Video




At four minutes we sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and I started practising zooms, tilts, and pans with my camera. After that things happened real fast. Here's a link to the top of the post with the video:

Video of Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour for STS-127

Launch of Shuttle Endeavour Scrubbed with Less Than 10 Minutes to Go

View of Space Shuttle Endeavour from across the Banana River on the NASA Causeway. This is about 5-1/2 miles away from the launchpad. It was a sunny day with a blue sky.

Since the first 2 scrubs were all about the fueling system, I learned more about the space shuttle fueling system. We didn't leave Tampa until fueling had begun.


We arrived at the NASA Causeway about 2 hours before launch and set up camp in the shade of our bus. Florida summers are hot and the sun is fierce. We saw manatees in the water. Pelicans were diving for fish. We caught up with friends from New Jersey who returned to Florida to see the launch.


The sky was blue over the launch pad when we heard thunder behind us. There was a big dark cloud in the west. An announcement came over the PA that the thunderstorm created a No Go condition for launch. We all hoped it would blow away. The rest of the sky was clear, but if there's a thunderstorm with lightning within 20 nautical miles of the launchpad or landing strip it's No Go. They broadcast the control room roll call from Florida and Houston. We heard, "Go, Go, Go, No Go, Go, Go, Go, No Go, Go..." The No Go's were from the Weather Officers. There were a few outbursts, but for the most part the crowd quietly packed up their camps and boarded their busses to return to the Visitor Center. We received vouchers to repurchase the orange bus tickets for when the launch of STS-127 was rescheduled. Five out of seven people in our group repurchased the orange tickets.

Space Shuttle Launch STS-127 Scrubbed Again

We came back to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for another all nighter to see the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour for mission STS-127 shortly after 6am. The launch time became earlier for each day delayed. The mission is to go to the International Space Station (ISS) to add a section on the Japanese Kibo laboratory. The launch time is scheduled to insert the space shuttle into an orbit to rendezvous with the ISS.

When we arrived at KSC we saw a lot of people sleeping in cars, campers, and tents in the parking lot. The doors to the Visitor Center were locked and a crowd of people was waiting to get in. We met a guy from New Jersey who had his Blackberry plugged into an outlet in the wall. His Dad was reminding him that it might rain again and that he should be careful not to walk away with his Blackberry still plugged in. The New Jersey Kid rolled his eyes and said, "Dad, I know I'm plugged in, and it's not raining anymore." Dad replied, "It's just that walking off with something plugged into the wall is something I might do." The New Jersey Kid was checking for news on Twitter. He was getting Tweets about the launch from SpaceFlightNow. I had set up my phone to get text Tweets from NASAKennedy and Astro_127 (Mission Commander Mark Polansky) but hadn't gotten any messages yet. The New Jersey Kid said that they had not yet started fueling the space shuttle. We waited, checked phones for news, and texted friends on their way to KSC. The fueling process began, but a hydrogen leak was detected. The leak was determined to be within safety parameters, fueling continued, and they opened the doors to the Visitor Center. We all poured into KSC in anticipation of seeing the shuttle launch at dawn.

The place was buzzing with people, music, and kids hopping around in space suits when an announcement came over the PA, "May we have your attention please..." The mission was scrubbed again. The hydrogen leak went beyond safety limits. The crowd sighed a collective "Awww..." and we all drove home.

Kennedy Space Center at Night

We arrived at Kennedy Space Center around midnight for the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour for mission STS-127 shortly after 7am the next morning. We had tickets for the viewing area at the NASA Causeway and you have to arrive about 6 hours early. The place looks different at night.


The Rocket Garden glows with colored lights. There are red lights under the upright rockets. The Saturn 1B rocket that lays on its side is illuminated in blue.


Shortly after we arrived we heard an announcement that the launch would be delayed due to a leak in the hydrogen fueling system.

It was a bummer, but we were already in line for the "Dine with an Astronaut" event at 1am. We met astronaut Mike Mullane who flew on 3 space shuttle missions. They showed a video during the meal. Afterwards Mike Mullane spoke to the group. He said that on one of his missions the launch was scrubbed and that he knows how disappointing it is, and added that's it's better to be safe than sorry. Then he took questions from the audience. The cutest was a little girl who asked, "What kind of job did you have as an astronaut, besides scrubbing the shuttle?"

Afterwards we lined up to have pictures taken with Mike. Somehow we lucked out on timing and were the last group in line for the picture taking. We had a chance to talk to Mike one on one, and I got his autograph in a book I brought to the event. It's a book called "The Home Planet" that I found in a sale pile at a bookstore years ago. It is a large hardcover book with photographs of the Earth taken by astronauts. The narrative in the book is quotes and essays by astronauts. I didn't know which astronaut we would meet that night, but it just so happened that Mike Mullane is one the astronauts quoted in the book.

We exchanged phone numbers with new friends we'd met at the dinner, and left Kennedy Space Center around 3am. We'll meet up with our friends from Orlando at the next launch attempt.

Space View Park in Titusville

The Mercury monument at Space View Park.

We drove around Titusville the next morning after the space shuttle launch. I had mapped Space View Park online and thought that it might be a good place to view a shuttle launch.


The gray rectangle on the horizon is the Vehicle Assembly Building.


The Gemini monument.


It's a nice looking park with a good view of the space shuttle launch and landing sites. There was evidence all around that there were a lot of people here last night to view the launch. I don't think I'd pick this place to view a launch, because there wasn't much parking. You would have to arrive early and camp out for hours before a launch. It might be a good location to view a space shuttle landing.

Two Space Shuttles on Launch Pads

(Click on the photos for larger images.)

We went to Kennedy Space Center with friends and went to the LC-39 Observation Gantry. Both lauch pads had space shuttles on them. Space Shuttle Endeavor is on the left and Atlantis is on the right.

Space Shuttle Atlantis will be the next space shuttle launched in October. Mission STS-125 will be the last time a space shuttle will service the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a dangerous mission, because of the high orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is almost twice as high as the usual space shuttle missions in Low Earth Orbit.


Space Shuttle Endeavor is being readied on Launch Pad LC-39B. It is a safety precaution in case a rescue is needed for the crew of shuttle Atlantis. It is the 18th time since the space shuttle program started in 1981 that both launch pads have space shuttles on them.


Shuttle Atlantis is on Launch Pad LC-39A.


An inflatable model of the Orion capsule. Orion is part of the Constellation Program that will carry on after the space shuttle program ends in 2010. The Constellation Program will take people back to the moon.


This is the T-38 training jet. It is so small compared to the space shuttle that it's hard to imagine that this aircraft is used for space shuttle pilot training. Right before a launch or landing you can see these birds in the air making passes at the runway. They check to see if the weather conditions are alright for landing the space shuttle.


Retired Shuttle Explorer near the Shuttle Launch Experience ride. The wait wasn't too long, and it was a fun ride. There are cooling stations along the line and videos of astronauts talking about their experiences. You enter the building to watch a multimedia presentation on about 5 screens about what goes into preparing the crew and the space shuttle for a launch. Then you go into another room where you line up to get on the ride. There is an option to bail out of going on the ride and watching it as a movie instead. Then the doors pop open and you get into what looks like a space shuttle payload bay full of seats. Everything tilts back, so that you're lying on your back, like the astronauts before launch. After that...well, I don't want to spoil it. You'll have to go experience it for yourself.

More photos of our visit to Kennedy Space Center.

Related Links:
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Kennedy Space Center
Latest Hubble Space Telescope Pictures
NASA: Constellation Program
NASA: Shuttle Operations

UPDATE: The launch of Shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-125 to the Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed. Here's more info:

"Hubble Trouble" by Mchawk at NowPublic.com, Sept. 29, 2008
"Mission to Hubble: Servicing Mission 4 Essentials" latest news from NASA, Sept. 30, 2008

Astronaut Hall of Fame

(Click on the photos for larger images.)

After watching the space shuttle land we went to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.


Apollo 14 command module. Three men flew to the moon and back in this spacecraft in 1971. There are scorch marks at the base from re-entry.

Inside the Apollo 14 command module. You can see the astronauts' seats and some of the controls. From this angle they would have been lying on their backs, feet up.

A tire from the Apollo moon rover.

It is amazing to think that we sent men to the moon when journalists still used manual typewriters. There were no laptops. That technology came later as a result of the space program.

A display showing the space shuttle design process.


The Hubble telescope. The space shuttle delivered and repaired the Hubble from the highest orbit ever flown.


Prototype of a Coke machine for the space shuttle.


Aviator helmets of famous astronauts.


Here I am in the shuttle landing simulater.

There are so many artifacts to see. I've been here twice and each visit I discovered something new. An admission ticket from Kennedy Space Center includes admission to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

More of my photos from the Astronaut Hall of Fame

Related links:
Astronaut Hall of Fame
Kennedy Space Center

STS-124 Shuttle Discovery Lands

We were in Titusville to see Shuttle Discovery land across the river from the landing strip at Kennedy Point Park. The large building in the distance is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). There was a small group of people gathered. One guy had a radio tuned in to NASA's live feed. Once we heard that the shuttle was crossing the Yucatan peninsula on its way to the Gulf we all got up out of shaded picnic pavillion to look around in the sky. It was a hazy day, and we were trying to spot anything in the air. There were a lot of military aircraft like weather planes, T38 shuttle training jets, and such flying around. Suddenly a commercial jet came from a nearby airport flying really low. It made a thundering noise and my first thought was that something was terribly wrong. As the jet got louder we heard the double sonic boom from the space shuttle. The jet continued flying low and to the north. The problem was that the shuttle was also flying north to turn around and line up with the runway. The guy with the NASA radio said, "That guy is in so much trouble." The commercial jet was in the wrong place, but nothing bad happened. We finally saw the shuttle once it was over the runway. It was interesting, but not as dramatic as a launch. It looked like an airplane landing from a distance.

Sonic Boom

Shuttle Endeavor landed in Florida tonight. We watched NASA TV on cable to see the approach to Florida from the Gulf. Then we went outside to look for it. We saw the previous shuttle come in for a landing from our backyard. Whether or not we can see it from Tampa all depends on what approach it takes as it comes down. The sky was clear and we saw some airplanes, but not the shuttle. As it approached Florida's west coast just south of here we heard the sonic boom. There were 2 booms, like a double click. It was a low-pitched, soft boom-boom. I was outside and felt it in my chest.

Shuttle Endeavor Reaches the International Space Station

Shuttle Endeavor reached the International Space Station tonight around 10:45pm. They are showing live footage on NASA TV. First the shuttle did a roll maneuver to enable the astronauts on the space station to see the underside of the shuttle to inspect the heat shield. Then the shuttle docked with the space station. They seemed to go through endless checkslists to check the seals before opening the hatch. Once they opened the hatch to let the shuttle crew onboard the ISS you could tell the veteran astronauts from the rookies. It was funny. The veterans started floating around to get aquainted with the people and surroundings. The rookies floated through the door and hovered in one spot.

LC-39 Observation Gantry

We went to Kennedy Space Center today and went on a tour that went to the LC-39 Observation Gantry. It's an observation tower where you can see the shuttle launch pads. This tour is closed on launch day.


This is a picture of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where the space shuttles are lifted vertically to be fitted with the big orange fuel tank, solid rocket boosters, and otherwise readied for launch.


A shuttle engine on the LC-39 Observation Gantry.


A view up the shuttle engine. A launch can be scrubbed up to 3 seconds before lift-off. The shuttle engines fire up 3 seconds before the solid rocket boosters. That's to prevent the shuttle from being launched into space if the engines aren't working properly.


Shuttle Atlantis on the launchpad. You can see the black nose of the shuttle and the orange fuel tank. The wide part of the tower rotates away from the space shuttle for launch.


The platform with the tractors around it is the crawler that takes space shuttles from the tall Vehicle Assembly Building in the background to the launch pad. The crawler travels up to 1 mile per hour with the shuttle vertical and maneuvers the space shuttle into place at the launch pad.


Here is a panorama of the crawler path showing both space shuttle launch pads. I couldn't get both launch pads in one shot, so this is crudely stitched together. Click on any of the photos to see a larger version.


This is another photo of the VAB as we left the tour area. It is the third largest building in the world (by volume) and the largest one story building in the world. One of the stars on the American flag on the side of the VAB is 6 feet across. The blue field in the flag is the size of a regulation basketball court. You can see it from miles away.

Shuttle Discovery Lands

It was a clear blue sky today over the Tampa Bay area. We think we saw Shuttle Discovery coming in for a landing on the east coast of Florida. We were in the backyard with binoculars looking at everything in the sky shortly before the scheduled landing. Airplanes had longer wings than the space shuttle and we could usually hear the engines. The white spot that we think was the space shuttle had shorter wings, dropped down really quick, left no exhaust trail, and was quiet. When a space shuttle comes in for a landing it drops quickly like a big brick with wings. After it cleared the tree line we went inside and watched the landing on TV.