Photo by James Nielsen.Remember when a 747 carried the space shuttle Endeavour over Johnson Space Center in December 2008?
Clear Lake Lifer blogger Jennefer Bell has been around long enough to remember watching the shuttle piggybacking overhead during a block party when she was a child, and then as a teen.
"When I was a student at Clear Lake High School I remember a particular fire drill that seemed to take a long time for them to sound the "all clear" signal. Suddenly everyone started cheering and as we looked up, we saw the brand new Endeavour flying piggyback overhead."
Read about her space-shuttle reminiscences here.
Bell eventually got to see a launch on person, as so many Clear Lake children have, especially if their parents or friends of their parents work for NASA. Around Clear Lake, a trip to Cape Kennedy to see a launch is a perfectly good excuse for missing school.
With the space shuttle era winding down this year, Clear Lake Reflections blogger Jim Fox made it his mission to see all the remaining launches in person. He caught Atlantis' November launch from a hill near the Vehicle Assembly Building:
"I was told by many people that the shuttle launch would be very, very loud and very bright so I expected some noise and brightness. However, the launch was much MUCH louder and much, MUCH brighter than I expected."
In February, he returned for Endeavour's night launch, but that launch didn't go as planned.
Read about his efforts to see the remaining launches here.
Have you ever seen a shuttle launch in person? Share your memories by commenting below.
Readers are solely responsible for the content of the comments they post here. Comments are subject to the site's terms and conditions of use and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of the Houston Chronicle.
Comments
Space shuttle sightings
I've never been lucky enough to see a launch in person, but I remember when I first moved to Clear Lake almost 20 years ago, I couldn't believe that school principals routinely granted parents' requests to pull their kids out of school for Cape Kennedy vacations. The only time I've seen a space shuttle up close was during one of NASA's annual open houses at Ellington Field. Remember when they used to do those before 9/11? The 747 that carried the space shuttle was a regular visitor, and I seem to remember one year there was a shuttle displayed piggyback on top, minus the engines that would have made it too heavy for Ellington's runways.
Sidewalk Talk
Space Shuttle Memories
I have been fortunate to watch three launches. Two of the launches were during the day time and the third was a night launch. It is an experience you cannot forget. From the final seconds of the countdown to the sparks, to the thunderous roar, to the lift off, and then the seperation. WOW is all I can say. And honestly, you get a little teary during the process as well as the other spectators, pretty wild. The night launch was so spectacular, it made the night look like day.
Former Space Coast Resident
I just moved to Houston from the Space Coast of Florida. This area, of course, gets its name from the space industry, including Kennedy Space Center. I moved to the area in 1996 and have seen every launch since that time. I have also seen many rocket launches. I cannot tell you the feeling that one gets from witnessing one of these shuttles launch into the air. The roar of the solid rocket boosters followed by the vibration which sometimes rattles your windows and walls, is incredible. For a night launch, the fire from the boosters light up the entire sky. During the day, the ball of fire and the smoke trail is visible for miles. What is so great is that you never get tired of watching them. Each time it gives you a feeling of awe, wonder and a great sense of patriotism and how fortunate we are that we are able to go into space. Many people do not realize the importance of the space program. Without it, we would not have many inventions which were created initially for space, but now utilized by the public and taken for granted. Examples include the use of cellular phones, satellites utilized by the military to launch rockets and locate terrorists, velcro, invisible braces, improvements to pacemakers, scratch resistant lenses, memory foam, ear thermometers, shoe insoles, long distance communications, smoke detectors, safety grooving in concrete on our roadways, cordless tools and water filters, exercise machines and satellite radio, just to name a few. I highly recommend that for anyone who has not yet witnesses a launch in person, you go before the shuttles are retired.
Surgeons
Nice knowing this. =)
Thanks for posting.
pittsburghplasticsurgeons
pittsburghplasticsurgery
Post new comment