Farewell Endeavour

 6:45 a.m. - barely dawn...the parking lot is full and A1A is a nightmare. Sure am glad I got here early....most people are a) nodding off, b) checking email on their phones, c) slapping no-see-ums....waiting.

 Clouds and people begin rolling in around 7 a.m. Many, like I, are dressed for work...lucky ones that don't have to leave in a flash once Endeavour goes by...

Finally, dropping out from the clouds...so-long Endeavour...so-long era...

Here's hoping!!

All bolted up and ready to go - Endeavour still scheduled for sunrise tomorrow morning! And the path is set to be the same as the one Discovery took - yippee!!!!!!!! Last time we'll see a shuttle in the air, people!! So see you on the dunes, folks!!!!!!!

Endeavour fly-out path a mystery

NASA is keeping very mum on the path Endeavour will take when it leaves the Space Center tomorrow at sunrise. Perhaps all the tickets to the Rocket Garden aren't sold yet, or perhaps the weather is iffy enough that if it gets much closer to the Friday starting date for the Titusville Air Show (who has begged for a flyover because it will draw more people to the show AND they need the $$ with all the layoffs) - maybe the 747 will go to the north instead of the usual loop south to Pineda. Either way, unless a specific northerly flight path is announced, you can bet there will be a real traffic snafu on A1A in the morning. Heck - after how many decades of watching shuttles and piggybacks, who is gonna miss the very last one????? Not I !!!!!!!!!

50 Days of Summer at Kennedy Space Center

Come step inside the Vehicle Assembly Building and prepare to be blown away - no, not by the fans, but the sheer magnitude! For a limited time, two special tours are available at KSC: the Up-Close Tour, which takes you to previously-forbidden places (like the VAB, launch pad 39a...) and Then and Now, which also takes you to places not often seen (like launch pads 5/6 - where it all began 50 yrs ago, and 34 where the Apollo flights were launched). Hint: go early in the day before it heats up! More info here and here!!

Astronaut for the Day at KSC

Meet Capt. Winston Scott, USN, retired Astronaut, currently Dean of the College of Aeronautics at FIT, and super fund-raiser. 
This weekend he is the featured astronaut at Kennedy Space Center. This writer had the privilege of having lunch with Mr. Scott and he is just chock full of fascinating facts. A gentleman and a professional trumpet player besides, Mr Scott is available for lunch at Kennedy Space Center at noon. And June 30- July 1, he will be appearing at the Meet an Astronaut event at KSC for a Q&A session.

Are all shuttles the same size?

Atlantis inside VAB behind a five feet high wall seemed so much smaller than Discovery does - or is it me?
Lucky DC got to see Discovery Tuesday and next Monday they get to see Enterprise leave for NYC. It will land at JFK. This will mark the second time the 747 carrying Enterprise will have done a flyover of Manhattan - the first was way back in 1983!

Was it worth getting up for? Hell, yeah!!

Thank you NASA !!!!

Discovery's swan song

Waiting patiently while watching the sun rise out of the sea...
Makes one forget how awful the traffic was getting here...
And how creepy it will be getting back...but considering there was a change of flight plans and there were actually two flyovers - well, you couldn't be in a better spot than Main Gate!

Farewell Discovery events at KSC

With the departure of the Space Shuttle Discovery taking place on April 17, it comes as no big surprise that the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has planned four days of farewell festivities for Discovery, the orbiter that's heading to it's final destination at the Smithsonian. And Space Coast residents wouldn't have it any other way. Regardless of how many launches have been observed, many residents and former employees will turn out for one final look at the vehicle that has been such a large part of their lives. See what's going on here.

For those who'd like to see the interior of Discovery, follow this link to a slideshow that was done on media day at KSC. Guaranteed you'll be fascinated!!

Space Coast ties to Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cows aren't jumping over the moon in this year's Ohio State Fair butter sculptures, though the exhibit does have a space travel theme. The fair revealed on Tuesday that the usual cow and calf made of butter are accompanied this time by a butter space shuttle and astronaut. The American Dairy Association says the refrigerated display pays tribute to the shuttle program's 30-year legacy. The project took 475 hours and used 1,550 pounds of butter, about 6,200 sticks. The 158th Ohio State Fair opens tomorrow.

4,363 post-shuttle layoffs

With yesterday's 1,510 workers being laid off, that brings the total to 4,363 workers laid off from United Space Alliance so far. That's just one company involved with the space program that will be laying off workers. And for those that say, "Well, they knew it was coming.", I can only say try having someone you love die from cancer. Sure, you know the end is coming, but believe me when I say that doesn't make it any less painful.

Luck

It's always a good feeling to hear the 'boom' and know the shuttle is home safe. Can't even get mad at the cats with nails that need trimming as they react to the house-shaking noise in the pre-dawn hours. Today was the first time ever that someone I knew reported seeing the shuttle fly over them as it made it's way to KSC. I've spent years watching where it was supposed to be and never saw a thing. Talking free-flying here, not piggyback. Thought this time they might go lower, take a different path - whatever just to share, but not to be. So - lucky was the person that just happened to be out getting the paper and looked up at just the right time.

Sneaky doings

This is a photo of the fake Apple store in China - another counterfeit business done with the blessings of the Chinese government. The employees here sell computers - ill gotten, and they don't know how to operate them. Sneaky business - read this. And this is the country whose butt we kiss even though they want to expand their presence in the space program that we are aiding every time we shop at Wal-mart - this is our bail out back-up? Scary stuff...Oh, yeah, this relates to the Space Coast because we are going to have over 3,000 more space-related layoffs between now and Sept. but China will take our place...

Mingle with Astronauts !!

2011 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Gala - All Day Event  May 06, 2011
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is rolling out the red carpet for space-age celebrities during its 2011 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame (AHOF) Induction Gala, and the public is invited! The festivities begin Friday, May 6, 2011 with the Hall of Fame Induction Gala, benefiting ASF. Held at the Kennedy Space  Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) Apollo/Saturn V Center, this black tie affair will leave guests star-struck as they mix and mingle with over 30 astronauts and space celebrities beneath a beautifully restored Saturn V rocket! Guests will join astronauts from Project Mercury through the Space Shuttle program in raising a glass to the 10th group of Space Shuttle astronauts to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Gala ticket also includes entry into KSCVC’s official induction ceremony for the Class of 2011 into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, the following day, May 7. Taking place in the heart of the Visitor Complex, this momentous occasion will be attended by dozens of astronauts and space icons there to take part in the ceremony. Cost: VIP Ticket $550 (limited availability), Individual Ticket $250 Call (321) 455-7014 for tickets and info. Tickets are limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thank you, NASA!

After 115 million miles (and it ain't over yet!), space shuttle Atlantis will retire at KSC this summer. Yippee !! And thank you NASA, and William Shatner, for a wonderful presentation! Please share on You Tube!