I share your joy at seeing the shuttle return safely. A great big sigh of relief and kudos for letting us have a nose camera view of the final approach!

Years ago I was fortunate enough to be in Florida tourism management and arrangements were made for me to watch a shuttle launch. I arose early in Titusville and drove in the dark per insructions to a spot on the causeway about 2 miles from the launch tower. Among the neatly arranged parked cars, trucks and campers, about every 50 feet or so there was a speaker on a stand and we all listened to the chit-chat as they prepared to start the countdown.

After a brief 20-minute delay (a boat had wandered into a prohibited zone), the familiar ..5 -4 – 3 – 2 – 1 and the huge engines erupted and WE HAD LIFTOFF! Moments later the loud roar washed past us.

The upside-down lighted candle rose slowly and twisted/screwed slowly to the right as it hurtled upwards and angled down range above us, getting smaller and smaller at the head of a column of smoke. What a rush!

I finished the last of the coffee in the bright red Thermos that had been handed to me along with my credentials and headed to the KSC tourist area where, amid the garden of giant rocets and boosters, the PA system kept us informed of the progress going on hundreds of miles above us. It was only about 10 in the morning. My day on earth had barely begun.

Take a look at my blog. I posted some pictures.

Thanks for the response to my posting. How do I send you an e-mail?

jared@jaredwsmith.com will fit the bill nicely. :)