Author Topic: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)  (Read 140091 times)

Offline HelixSpiral

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #160 on: 02/09/2010 08:24 pm »
1) Anyone on the east coast of the US going out to see Endeavour come up the east coast during powered flight?  I was ready to go this morning, but I don't think I can do the earlier wake up on Monday and still have a productive week at work.  The moon was in the southeast, and it would have been a really cool sight.

A friend and I, plus several other people from around town, went down to Fort Fisher (near Wilmington, NC) to the secluded southern tip of the island to watch. We saw it from about 1 minute, 30 seconds MET to MECO. It looked amazing with the SRBs taking it up. A beautiful bright red color with a long, prominent flame trail, making a very apparent arc over the ocean. It was much like seeing it from the Cape, but in miniature. What blew me away more than seeing it at the Cape, though, was that you got a real idea of how amazingly fast the thing goes. In the time it takes me to take my garbage can from the side of the house to the street, the Shuttle went from being stationary in Florida to being over 400 miles away, off the coast of NC, due East of me. Another 3 minutes brought it 30 degrees east of North according to my position. In just 7 minutes or so, the thing had gone from horizon to horizon at about a 150-degree angle. Incredible.
Saw pretty much the exact same thing a little south of you in Myrtle Beach. It Was very cool.

Offline fura

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #161 on: 02/09/2010 09:33 pm »
For those of you on the causeway I have a question that I have never found a detailed answer on: When the launch was scrubbed did you purchase another $56 ticket for the next attempt, and if so where did you do this and was it a pretty straightforward process?
Thanks, and I hope to have tickets for March and hope to meet some fellow NSF'ers!

When we had to hand over our tickets before boarding the buses to the causeway we all got a voucher that entitled us to buy new causeway tickets in the event of a scrub on a first come first serve basis.
So when I came back from the causeway after the scrub I hightailed to the ticket booths to buy a new ticket for about $21.
BTW there are different colors for the causeway tickets, orange, purple and brown - anyone who knows the significance of these colors. I had orange on both my tickets.


Offline texasmomof2

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #162 on: 02/10/2010 12:08 am »
I am curious too fura. Just so you know, I was in KSC for this launch on Sunday am, and at about?? not sure because i was resting my eyes, I heard them doing a call on the intercom that "ALL ticket holders,purple, brown, and orange, needed to proceed to the buses immediately as this was the last one leaving for the night ". I am guessing they are different times?

Offline gordon22

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #163 on: 02/10/2010 04:53 am »
Walter - that picture is incredible, wow!

We were at banana creek too - first time and so glad we stayed - almost didn't come back after sunday morning. A really incredible experience that I am thrilled I got to see.

We had 2 cameras going - , and were pretty excited to get a few decent pictures (since we aren't camera people). I know why people said "just watch it and don't worry about a picture" but I am thrilled to be able to have the first picture below as something we took....thanks to everyone for all your info and help in the process, great site you have here.

also - found this video from banana creek - best one i've seen so far.









Offline floron

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #164 on: 02/10/2010 06:14 pm »
Here's the video i took from the Causeway in high-def goodness:





i also took some pics at the Saturn V center, including some of the ares LUT. There's a bunch of 3D anaglyphs up there too, although you'll need red/blue glasses to view them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/nicksoutham

Sorry i missed out on the dinner at Dixie Crossroads...the whole trip was a last-minute affair and i wasn't following the thread. I was actually even there at the restaurant at same time having a bite to eat (saw Chris G. walking by) but didn't cotton on to what was happening. doh!




Offline texasmomof2

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #165 on: 02/10/2010 06:35 pm »
Great video floron. I am a little south of you in Victoria, and was there as well. I had to get back on Monday so was only able to see it from Titusville.stopped in a parking lot and watched from there, then had to get on the road back to Texas. I was in KSC for the first night, though and did most of the stuff, as I had never been there before. I really appreciate the video, because I wanted to just stand in awe and watch, as this was my 3rd trip to try and see it launch over 10 years and I finally got to see it. I am going to show my extended family your video because I was trying to describe the sound we heard and now they can hear it as well. I also missed the stuff you have pics on .I went to the Saturn Center but did not see that. Was it in a side room?We were one of the last busses to go out there, and were kind of being hurried out, so am thinking it was in a side room( although I was so in awe of that whole rocket in there that I sort of forgot about everything else). Am gonna try to make it in July , as it will be the last time I can make it and will try for tickets again.

Offline floron

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #166 on: 02/10/2010 08:47 pm »
Hey, 3rd time lucky... ;)

i guess one of the good things about a cloudy night launch is that it would look just as good from Titusville as it would from the Visitor's Center or the Causeway...the spectacle mainly comes from the shuttle lighting the clouds up like a sunrise, although i suppose the sound would be a little more muted.

If you're interested, my video of last year's launch of Atlantis to the Hubble has better sound:

The Apollo 14 CM was in the Saturn V Center, about halfway down the hall behind a faux bank-vault door...last year it was over in the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and i was initially disappointed to find it missing (the guy at the ticket desk thought it had gone to the Smithsonian). I was happy to find it the next day at the SVC, and the new display is much better than the old one (no horrible Plexiglas in the way).

Offline texasmomof2

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #167 on: 02/10/2010 09:47 pm »
That was a great video as well. I was very surprised at the sound that we were able to hear from the grocery store parking lot. While it was not as loud as the video, it was quite loud. From where we were standing(and one other car was there watching as well), it looked like it was coming toward us and the sound was great.Hope to see from KSC in July. Last July was when we did not see it, as thunderstorms decided to roll in 10 minutes before liftoff.To make matters worse, a friend called as we were stuck in 5 oclock traffic in Houston coming back, to say it had just launched!!!!!Will try to get to see other exhibits we missed this time. I had driven 19 hours straight to Orlando the day before, and then overnight launch, I was tired and sat alot. I am too old for these overnight things!!!

Offline floron

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #168 on: 02/11/2010 02:25 am »
Here's two more videos, timelapses taken from the Causeway of those pesky clouds from both launch attempts and Chris Fergueson zipping around in the STA.




Offline Astro_yyz

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #169 on: 02/15/2010 06:36 pm »
I also wanted to share my causeway video (picks up about a minute before launch, LUMIX point'n'shoot set to video mode on a tripod, while I observed the launch naked eye and with binos - suggest you pick the high def version)



and our trip reports that we posted on our astronomy club's website.  Just scroll down a bit;
http://toronto.rasc.ca/content/STS130rep1.shtml

Thank you to Chris G for arranging the dinner beforehand - it was great to meet some of you.

Katrina

Offline mixologist07

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #170 on: 02/17/2010 04:38 am »


Interesting video -- STS-130 launch from the front observer team, the closest people at around 2.5 miles from the pad.


Offline texasmomof2

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #171 on: 02/17/2010 01:08 pm »
Great video. It did not sound quite like that from the grocery store parking lot, but I did get to hear it at least.:0)  Thanks for all the great info you gave me.

Offline sts126

Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #172 on: 02/20/2010 03:57 am »
looks like this is from south southeast comments on you tube say 1 mile away. which with audio delay seems close about 15seconds for sound so I thought maybe 2 miles.  anyone know what the whining sound is in background before shuttle noise come up?
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Offline jthodges

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #173 on: 02/20/2010 02:18 pm »
Is anyone heading to Edwards tomorrow night?  Just curious about when others are planning to be out there and where they are viewing from.

Offline texasmomof2

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #174 on: 02/21/2010 03:34 am »
I just wanted to thank all of you on this forum who have been so helpful in my planning for my trip for the February launch. Everyone here was great and I had a great time seeing it go up. I am already planning on being back in July for that liftoff. Hopefully it will go up when I am in KSC, not a parking lot!!!! Anyway, I posted a trip report on Trip advisor of my expedition, so if anyone is interested in reading it, you can find it here. It was memorable and I hope to be back soon. In the meantime, I will keep checking back here to keep up with the latest in shuttle activities.  Thanks again, Naydene

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g34515-i19-k3419046-My_February_Space_Shuttle_Launch_TR-Orlando_Florida.html

Offline astrobrian

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #175 on: 02/21/2010 08:13 pm »
looks like this is from south southeast comments on you tube say 1 mile away. which with audio delay seems close about 15seconds for sound so I thought maybe 2 miles.  anyone know what the whining sound is in background before shuttle noise come up?
Closest anyone gets is press, and that is a tick over 3 miles, and that is about 15 seconds for the delay

Offline mixologist07

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #176 on: 02/21/2010 09:00 pm »
looks like this is from south southeast comments on you tube say 1 mile away. which with audio delay seems close about 15seconds for sound so I thought maybe 2 miles.  anyone know what the whining sound is in background before shuttle noise come up?
Closest anyone gets is press, and that is a tick over 3 miles, and that is about 15 seconds for the delay

I can tell you they're closer than 3 miles.  The air was very thin that night, and I time the delay they're hearing from main engine start, which places them a little less than 2 and a half miles.  From the VAB/Banana Creek area I can tell you that we barely heard main engine start and the wave of sound came from the SRBs, and a little later than normal.  The fact that they heard main engine start and the actual SRB ignition places them quite a bit closer than the rest of us on-site that night.

The other clue is the visuals - from any of the close-up viewing areas other than the Fire Tower, you can't see the full stack.  They're closer than the Fire Tower, which is around 4 miles.


Offline Andrewwski

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #177 on: 02/21/2010 09:30 pm »
Press site is almost exactly 3 miles from 39A.
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Offline csmjr91090

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #178 on: 02/21/2010 09:41 pm »
Is anyone heading to Edwards tomorrow night?  Just curious about when others are planning to be out there and where they are viewing from.

I'm thinking about it, though I'm still not 100% sure. If I do go which is now looking around Monday night instead of tonight (assuming KSC is NO-GO tonight & tomorrow) I heard there is a nice viewing spot on Highway 58 @ 20 Mule Team Rd. There is a video on Youtube of a crowd of people there and they seemed to get a good view of it. I also saw some photos from approx the same location and that person was able to view touchdown (you could see the puffs of smoke from the Main Gear). I'll look for the videos & photos and post them if I can find them.

Offline psloss

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Re: STS-130 Endeavour: Viewing (Going to launch, etc.)
« Reply #179 on: 02/21/2010 10:01 pm »
Is anyone heading to Edwards tomorrow night?  Just curious about when others are planning to be out there and where they are viewing from.

I'm thinking about it, though I'm still not 100% sure. If I do go which is now looking around Monday night instead of tonight (assuming KSC is NO-GO tonight & tomorrow) I heard there is a nice viewing spot on Highway 58 @ 20 Mule Team Rd. There is a video on Youtube of a crowd of people there and they seemed to get a good view of it. I also saw some photos from approx the same location and that person was able to view touchdown (you could see the puffs of smoke from the Main Gear). I'll look for the videos & photos and post them if I can find them.
If you do go out on Monday and Endeavour is still on-orbit, keep an eye on the wind direction, which may drive which end of the runway the orbiter would land on.  The 20 Mule Team Road site is great for approaches to Runway 22, but for the other end (Runway 04), you'd likely want to be on the south side of the base.

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