We jumped online early and found that the launch had been
rescheduled for tonight, and we were able to get VIP tickets. The VIP area only
has 300 people and is considerably closer – only 2.3 miles from the launch pad,
and as close as you can be safely.
We had a behind the scenes bus tour booked for 10.30 am, so
we headed out for Kennedy Space Centre again.
The bus tour was great. We spent 2 hours driving around all
the technical areas of the Centre, including the launch pads, and the Vehicle
Assembly Building. NASA constructs its rockets upright, so the building is
huge. The building is 525 feet tall and the doors are 456 feet, to accommodate
the Saturn V. The building covers an area of 8 acres. There is a US flag on the
side, 209 feet long. When the rockets are assembled, the big crawler
transporters bring them out, for the long hike out to the launch pads. The
crawler road surface is made of special river stone that won’t spark when
crushed, as you don’t want sparks around rockets.
When we returned to the Visitor Centre we went to the
Astronaut Hall of Fame, and watched a really interesting 3D movie about the
history of space exploration. Then it was back to the RV to get rugged up for
the launch – take 2!
The VIP experience was much more civilised. We bussed to the
viewing area where they fed us dinner and gave us commemorative T-shirts. There
was no jostling for seats on the bleachers and by 7.30 everyone was seated and
there was a commentator telling us what was going on at the launch site just
over the river from us. By that stage we were past the check that the rocket
had failed yesterday and it was looking hopeful. They patched us in to the
audio feed from the launch command centre and it was thrilling to listen to the
checks coming in one by one as “OK”.
It was dark by then, but we could see the launch pad lit
brightly, and the rocket standing tall and white against the dark of the
towers. As the final checks came in the announcement was “clear for launch”. It
seemed like the whole crowd held its collective breath as the first glow
started at the base of the Atlas rocket. Within a split second the glow
exploded into a bright ball of light that made us shade our eyes, and the
rocket started to move. Slowly at first, then clearing the towers and accelerating
into the sky. It took several seconds before the sound arrived, a deep roar that
you could feel in your chest, a vibration that you felt in your bones. The
crowd reacted, some cheers, some gasps, and a heap of exclamations of awe. We
watched, transfixed, as the Atlas soared into the sky, trailing flame and
smoke. We saw the first stage separate from the main rocket and jets of flame
as it broke free and began falling to earth. In free fall, it was moving so
much slower than it had been on the way up, giving us perspective on just how
fast the Atlas was moving. Before long, the flames went out and we couldn’t see
it falling anymore, but the Atlas continued rising. Finally, the rocket was
gone, dwindling to a pinprick of light, and vanishing.
The announcer told us that by the time we were back at the
visitor centre, about 40 minutes from launch, the Atlas would have done its job
and the satellite deployed.
That was a once in a lifetime, bucket list experience. And
we would do it again, anytime!
