May 30th - Space Shuttle Launch * Successful Launch on 6/5 at 5:23pm *

[albiats]

STS 111, which will be Shuttle Flight # 110 and the 18th flight of the Endeavor is on schedule to be launched on May 30, 2002.

It's scheduled to launch between 4 and 8pm and should be quite visible from the Disney Wonder as it embarks on a 3 day cruise.

I was fortunate to get tickets to be on site at KSC for the launch and will be watching from the closest public viewing area, about 6 miles from the pad.

They have a permanent phone line set up with recorded launch information at 321-867-4636. It gives info about the current launch and the ones that are currently scheduled.

Hope it goes off as scheduled! I'll be watching and listening on my scanner radio.


* updated as of 5/30 at 11pm - launch rescheduled for May 31 at 7:30pm *

** updated as of 5/31 at 4pm - launch rescheduled for June 3 between 4 and 8 pm **

*** updated on 6/5/02 at 5:35pm - launch was successful on 6/5/02 at 5:23pm ***

 

[albiats]

On Wednesday, they announced a 60% prediction that weather will delay the launch of the shuttle.

They haven't changed the schedule yet, but it's still a possibility.

 

[JimB.]

Launch time has been announced as 7:44 p.m., about 2 hours after the ships leave port. If it goes on schedule, the view from the ships should be quite nice.

The bad news is, there is a 60% chance of delay due to weather.

The good news is that USUALLY, most of the inclement afternoon weather has dissapated by that time. So if the weather does not delay any pre-launch activities, I think there's a pretty good chance of an on-time launch.

I certainly HOPE so, 'cause I'm driving2 hours to go see it go up today!!!

 

[albiats]

The launch was scrubbed becuase of a weather front coming in from the west, from Kissimmee. It was scrubbed about 25 minutes before the launch, at the T-9 minute mandatory hold.

Because of the requirements that they place on returning to see the launch on the next scheduled attempt, we decided not to come back for it. The requirements are different from what was explained to me when I bought the tickets, but I don't see any way to discuss it with them.

When I purchased the tickets, I was told that if it was rescheduled, we could keep coming back until the mission was launched. The bad part of it is, once you board the bus to be transported to the launch viewing area, your transportation ticket has been consumed. I asked about buying another transportation ticket and they said I could buy them immediately after returning from the scrubbed attempt and that we would first in line to buy the new tickets.

Well, the rest of KSC didn't agree and you couldn't buy tickets this evening. They gave us complimentary passes to come onto the Visitor's Center and if we were there by 8am, we could buy the transportation tickets. Or we could watch the launch from the visitor center.

We live almost 3 hours from KSC and with the beginning of the summer season, there aren't any hotel rooms available within a reasonable price range and distance.

So, I'll have to wait until another time.

The new launch attempt is on Friday, May 31 at 7:30pm.

 

[disneyholic family]

yup...when i read the rules about bus boarding and all that i decided to just view it from the road or whatever...
but so far we've never succeeded in seeing a launch....
the weather always does us in....
next up for us is july 19....they've moved this date a few times...hopefully they won't move it again or we'll be long gone from orlando.....
of course, the july 19 shuttle is known to be targetted, so i wonder what they'll do as the date gets closer......
what with the FBI's announcement the other day about their belief that terrorists have shoulder fired missiles in the US (and that they're planning on shooting down airplanes with them.....now i ask you.....what purpose did it serve for the FBI to tell us that....is there anything i can do about a missile being fired at the airplane i'm on?????......)...anyway, i don't see how they could possibly get close enough to be within range of the shuttle....

 

[GoodStepMom]

I would think the view from the ship would be great! We can even see the trail with naked eye from here in Jax. Even better with telescope.

Last night, we stood in the backyard for about 10 min. before we thought to check if it had been delayed--oops!

With all the security requirements, if we drove down, we'd probably still just watch it from Cocoa Beach.

 

[albiats]

The launch of STS 111 has now been rescheduled for Monday, June 3, 2002 between 4 and 8 pm.

 

[albiats]

the Space Shuttle Endeavor was successfully launched at 5:23pm on Wednesday, 6/5/02.

I was not able to be at KSC to view the launch, I'll have to try again another time.

 

[GoodStepMom]

Too cloudy to see from here.

I love the sunrise launches the best, they're beautiful even from this far! Can't you see the trail from from ST. AUG too? But I guess that doesn't compare to being there...

 

[albiats]

I'm not in St Augustine, JimB is.

We usually drive South and go to the beach and look for it, but it's just not the same as in being there.

I need a hotel room near the Space Center with a balcony or patio for my Mom (81 yrs old) to sit on with an air conditioned room nearby. She can't make it out in the sun for very long and she's always wanted to see a launch from up close.

I'll have to start researching now for a launch in the fall or winter, like for the October 6th launch attempt.

 

[albiats]

Originally posted by disneyholic family
next up for us is july 19....they've moved this date a few times...hopefully they won't move it again or we'll be long gone from orlando.....
of course, the july 19 shuttle is known to be targetted, so i wonder what they'll do as the date gets closer......
what with the FBI's announcement the other day about their belief that terrorists have shoulder fired missiles in the US (and that they're planning on shooting down airplanes with them.....now i ask you.....what purpose did it serve for the FBI to tell us that....is there anything i can do about a missile being fired at the airplane i'm on?????......)...anyway, i don't see how they could possibly get close enough to be within range of the shuttle....

disneyholic family - Just curious -

I had not heard that the July 19 Shuttle is known to be a target, is there anywhere I could read about it?

thanks

 

[MO64RN]

I saw it from my pool deck. It was beautiful as usual. It amazes me I am probably about 40 miles from KSC but on clear days you can see it. Also amazing is when it comes back into orbit and you hear the sonic booms. It still freaks me out everytime I hear it. The whole house shakes a few seconds like an earthquake. The first time I thought a tree fell on my house. It is a sound I will never get used to. The worst is when it comes in over night. You don't know whats going on. Then you realize hey, that was the shuttle. We saw it once at the space center. It was a dawn launch and it was beautiful.

 

[JimB.]

I took a chance and drove down (again!!!) to see the launch yesterday.

It was magnificent, as always. We were about 7-8 miles from the launch complex.

It took me back to "the good old days" when my Dad used to work at the Space Center and we would go out onto the station to view the Apollo/Saturn V launches.

This did not have the same impact (due to being over twice as far away), but it still brought back happy thoughts and made me think about my Dad.

We'll probably try and go back in July for the next one......