Where Did You Watch Atlantis Take-Off?

For Aviation fans this was a very historical event. The FINAL Space Shuttle launch. Atlantis. STS-135.
I had set up my DVR to tape the launch but still wanted to see it on TV live with other
people. I was at work and our Co-worker cafeteria has a nice wall mounted flat screen TV. Usually its Maury or Jerry Springer or Who Wants To Be a millionaire on that screen. My thinking was maybe for the last flight they will actually do a SPECIAL REPORT and show the flight. But checking Facebook on my phone I was hearing it was in a hold but about 11:16 then saw it was ON!! Jumped in an elevator and arrived just as FOXNEWS broke into MY9 programming with 2 minutes to go. THEN at :31 seconds it was halted. WTF?? But after a check on something the count continued and at 0:00 the engines fired up and off into the wild blue wonder they flew!! Always a magnificent sight!! And it was nice to see lots of people in the lunch room stop what they were doing and watch the launch and talk about it. That was very cool but too bad it took the LAST one to get this attention.
I dont know, its 2011 and growing up as a child of the 60s and a big SCiFi fan I figured we would be well on our way to other galaxies by now!!
Oh well I could dream.
Godspeed Atlantis.

From home, I had planned to go down but it's my turn to work weekend tours plus it is my girlfriends birthday today so......... My last launch was on TV. :(

missed it....I was getting yelled at as usual!

missed it as well...too involved with work issues of the day.

I did try every which way to get to Florida but unfortunately watched it on TV.
But during the 30 Years of shuttle flights I was able to witness two in person.

On Static Road about 4 miles from the launch pad - my first launch to see in person - and the last launch - what an experience!

http://www.tavustheman.com/images/sh...quence-005.jpg

Great shot Mark!

I watched it in my office on NASA TV. Had to keep the sound down since the boss is across the hall...

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Originally Posted by MarkLawrence

On Static Road about 4 miles from the launch pad - my first launch to see in person - and the last launch - what an experience!

http://www.tavustheman.com/images/sh...quence-005.jpg

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that is awesome!!! I had to add some contrast to it to make it pop! I hope you do not mind

http://www.longislandwallpapers.com/...-QhqPv8h-L.jpg

Ohhhh...heck no - thanks Fred!! Seems like my edit lacked a little- I need to take if off jp and re-edit!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarkLawrence

On Static Road about 4 miles from the launch pad - my first launch to see in person - and the last launch - what an experience!

http://www.tavustheman.com/images/sh...quence-005.jpg

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NICE!!!! Awesome shot!! I can imagine the anxiety watchers had when the Countdown stopped at :31 seconds!! Soooo close!!! Thankfully they figured it out!!
And CNN had a nice special running a few times this week "Beyond Atlantis" which had some great inside footage.

Watched Atlantis from home, I did have tickets to see a shuttle launch a couple of years ago, but it got delayed and had to miss it.

From the Kennedy Space Center press area

http://nycaviation.com/newspage/wp-c...t1-620x413.jpg

I was trying to pick up a hotspot with my laptop so I could watch it online. I had a good signal & right @ 49 seconds on the countdown, I lost it! I then drove like a mile down the road & found a new one RIGHT at the moment the countdown started up again. I was able to see the launch live, online sitting in the parking lot of some funeral home in Smithtown. I called my wife @ home & made her get the kids inside to watch it also. My little one started screaming for joy when they lit the solid rocket boosters! Really cool to hear & experience. Sad to see the program come to an end.

Saw it online at work, a technology unimaginable at the start of the Shuttle program and one that I hope in some way was made possible by our manned spaceflight program. I was watching it discreetly at my desk, since I thought I'd be the only one. Found out later that almost everyone else was also watching it discreetly at their desks :>

And honestly, it didnt even get THAT much attention, Gerard, IMHO.

Casey Anthony was the top story still, it seemed.:mad:


Anyway, I turned on the TV around 1128. I was home alone with my 2 year old. Watching the last launch was perfect, daddy and me time, although I know she hardly understood what she was looking at.


BTW, took me the last launch to see that the shuttles' primary booster nozzles were multidirectional. Didnt know that.

Watched it at work. Almost wrote it off as BBC (My main source of news) was yapping about the weather...

I had a vacation day and happened to have been with my two year old son. He was not really interested in what was going on on the TV so when Atlantis was about to go, I made sure he watched just for those few moments. Someday I'll be able to tell him that he witnessed a part of history.

One thing I learned was that the sparks that they set off just before the main engines ignite have nothing to do with helping them to light up. It's done to burn up any excess Hydrogen that may have been lingering just before liftoff. Either way, still very cool to see the sparklers doing their thing.

Matt and I were at the press site. Simply amazing.