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I ‘malso quite envious,……my only trip to the cape was during the “downtime” between Apollo/Soyuz joint mission and the Space Shuttle development.
I knowpeople that have witnessed a shuttle launch, and it is in their words - indescribable.
Videos don’t do it justice, but sometimesyou can get a good one that almost captures the being there quality….
The rare combination of vantage point, atmosphericconditions and lighting can make for a really unique experience…someeven mange to get a hint of the awesome power unleashed…
So, for the benefit of those that haven’tseen these links before:
time marker 1:46 to 1:51, make it worth watching(just need to get past the family babble and national anthem in the beginning)……
Columbia dawn launch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdjID2osZ0A
The car alarms being set off by thevibration all around the launch spectator are amusing.
Discovery night launch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l55vjzyj0EY
· This one’s not bad….pumps some serious air on myspeakers….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvbK93FB5kU&feature=related
-----Original Message-----
From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com[mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] OnBehalf Of lsf5275@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 4:10 PM
To:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup]other Apollo 11
Youwere very lucky, Tony. I, for one, would have given anything to have had thatexperience.
Frank
In amessage dated 12/22/2010 11:07:53 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, atm655@verizon.net writes:
Thanks for reading it.
Hard to compress that kind of experience, but it was a oncein a lifetime event, once in the history of mankind!
Sadly I am the only one of the four of us that's still alive.
That's part of life.
Tony
-----Original Message -----
From: Tom Doncourt
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 10:33 AM
Subject: Re:[newmellotrongroup] other Apollo 11
Thanks for the greatretelling, Tony. Like you , I hope to live long enough to see us return tospace exploration, humankind pushing the envelope of it's technologicalpotential.
On Dec 22, 2010, at 10:20 AM, Tony wrote:
I had just turned 14 in June and was alreadyflying sailplanes, so dad decided as a slightly belated gift, to fly mylate cousin, mom, and I down for the launch in his plane.
Titusville's airport was te busiest in the U.S. onthat day (no surprise), and the rows of corporate jets was a sight in itself.
We sat in the terminal with a lot of other folkson that hot July morning, watching the TV coverage, as the countdown timerhit around T-4 mins we went outside approx 7 miles from the launch vehicle. Thecom between controllers and spacecraft was on the PA system, and as the launchteams ran down the go/no go list you felt like the tension could be cut with aknife.
365 feet of pure white and black on a beautifull,bright sun lit launch pad, packing 7 million pounds of fuel, the count reachedT-10 seconds and the sequence began. All engines running after about 3 secondsand in 7 more seconds full power and liftoff!
We initially felt the earth shake pretty quickly,before we could hear it. But a buffeting in the chest was impressive andthen the sound arrived.
So many emotions, national pride, awe, envy,respect.
Among my dad many interests he always had the bestoptics around, so we all had great binoculars, and saw the first stage detach,IBM inter ring detach, 2nd stage ignition, and launch escape system and coverjettison (at 220,000 feet)!
John your explanation is better"indescribable"!
Now after 35 years of living in Fla I've seen withthe naked eye many Space Shuttles launched from my yard on the west coast.
They remind me of that day everytime, and I'm sadthat we have just one more flight left.
I just hope I live long enough to see us return toexploring space, not just near earth orbit.
But that involves politics, and I usually knowbetter than to go there, but they ALL do!
Tony
. -----Original Message -----
From: JohnWright
Sent:Wednesday, December 22, 2010 8:22 AM
Subject: RE: [newmellotrongroup] other Apollo 11
Hi Tony,
That is amazing. I know afew people that have seen the Shuttle launch from many miles away and theydescribed the sound as incredible. How close were you and what did theSaturn V sound like? Kind of a dumb question because probably indescribable,but I imagine even several miles away it was felt as well as heard.
John
From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com[mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] OnBehalf Of Tony
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 201011:35 PM
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup]Speaking of the moon.....total lunar eclipse Dec 20 / 21
I am fortunate enough to have seenApollo 11 launched in person, July 16, 1969.
Guess they managed to pull off quite a trickindeed!
Tony
&n
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