Fifty Plus (50+) - The most awe-inspiring thing I've ever seen

I got an invite to go out to Kennedy Space Center this evening for the rollout of Atlantis for the final space shuttle launch. Here are a few pics. We were about 100 yards away. This is truly the most spectacular thing I've ever seen.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00589.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00593.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00609.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00625.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00635.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00653.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00656.jpg

Nice ones.

Sweet. I'm bummed I'll likely never get to see a shuttle launch.

Thanks K'bach. I always wanted to see a launch, preferably a night launch.

Nice to see our tax dollars stacked upright. In this case i approve. Most awe-inspiring thing for me was seeing the SR-71 taking off and disappearing into a clear blue sky from Okinawa in 1966. It was and still is a truely unbelievable sight, the deep thunder of the afterburners lit on take-off from a dead stop, the speed it had on lift off and just gone going straight up. There was no taking its time to gather speed like the shuttle. Every time i saw it it had the same awe-inspiring feeling.

awesome!!

That is awesome! Jealous.

More rockets, less welfare recipients!

Awesome, I watched a nighttime launch last April & I will NEVER forget it. It was amazing.

Nice. Sweet spot for pictures. Congrats and well done!

Very, very cool. How lucky that you got to see it!

There was an interesting piece on NPR the other day about that huge transporter that moves the shuttle - how much it weighed (a whole lot), how fast it went (very slowly, 1 mph loaded) etc.

I was at a Phillies spring training game at the Pirates field a few years ago and everyone was in a real buzz about something. Turns out one of the shuttles was going to fly over. It was hard to really see it when it went over but it was a wow moment.

Nice to see our tax dollars stacked upright. In this case i approve. Most awe-inspiring thing for me was seeing the SR-71 taking off and disappearing into a clear blue sky from Okinawa in 1966. It was and still is a truely unbelievable sight, the deep thunder of the afterburners lit on take-off from a dead stop, the speed it had on lift off and just gone going straight up. There was no taking its time to gather speed like the shuttle. Every time i saw it it had the same awe-inspiring feeling.

Having seen both, I must admit its a tough choice, but a shuttle launch takes it for me. So much power! I think the launch we saw in the 90's was in the early morning, yet it lit up the area brighter than day. And the rumble was heart-pounding, and we were several miles away.

While in Korea in the '70s I got to see 2 SR-71 landings and takeoffs. AMAZING! They were flying out of Guam over North Korea and these two had "problems" and declared an emergency. I was in Air Traffic Control Radar repair at Kunsan, and when they declared an emergency they had to tell the ATC controller how many SOBs (Souls On Board) and aircraft type so we could notify the fire crew. It was a dead give-away when they declined to declare the aircraft type. We all piled out on to the run way to watch the landing. They first thing you would see is 3 black dots in the distance: 2 engines and the cockpit all held together by razor thin wings. When it landed it had to be so nose up that the pilots cant see the runway since the wings are so thin they would not provide enough lift.

Amazing technology. I'll never forget it.

Great stuff!! So could you have outsprinted the rollout vehicle??????

I'm a fanatic photographer, wish I could see a shuttle launch but not much chance of that now. Saw an Apollo from Orlando once and some garden variety satellite launches closer a couple of times.

The glory days of space are over for the US. Our new priorities include providing free healthcare (and free everything else) to illegals flocking here from all over. Pity. Space exploration was a nice dream while it lasted.

Now all we have left is Hope and Change.

The glory days of space are over for the US. Our new priorities include providing free healthcare (and free everything else) to illegals flocking here from all over. Pity. Space exploration was a nice dream while it lasted.

Now all we have left is Hope and Change.

Why does everything have to turn into politics. Geesh.:(

Great pics, thanks for sharing.

Why does everything have to turn into politics. Geesh.:(

Maybe because it's affecting most of us more dramatically right now than ever?

And true story: This next launch is the last of NASA's shuttle program. Thousands of people are being laid off and the Cape is going to be manned with a skeleton crew.

Great pics. The big gap in my bike riding this summer will be in July when my family will go to Florida and watch the launch and spend some time hanging out at amusement parks. My wife couldn't pass up a chance to see the last launch, since a college friend of hers is in the 4 person crew and we can get tickets for a spot closer than the causeway (we don't get the closest possible spot, but still, a good spot). Just crossing our fingers the launch actually happens within a week of the scheduled July 8 date so we'll be able to see it.

I could probably rent a bike for a day while we're there to get some riding in and skip an amusement park day, but I've noted a distinct lack of hills in Florida, the workout just wouldn't be the same.

Why does everything have to turn into politics. Geesh.:(

because that's what happened to the space program.

j.

I could probably rent a bike for a day while we're there to get some riding in and skip an amusement park day, but I've noted a distinct lack of hills in Florida, the workout just wouldn't be the same.
Call it a recovery ride. :rolleyes: I've ridden down there, and it ain't at all bad.

The shuttles and I started our flying careers at the same time. My current employer has relocated to the US and so does my job in July. Maybe we should retire at the same time as well. The old ships have been in service a long time.

The shuttles and I started our flying careers at the same time. My current employer has relocated to the US and so does my job in July. Maybe we should retire at the same time as well. The old ships have been in service a long time.

That's a switch. I never hear of any business relocating TO the US.

When we lived in Daytona Beach, the wife did outdoor advertising. At the time Rockwell was turning shuttles and did some advertising with her company. We got freebie VIP passes for STS-7, the one Sally Ride was on. Toured all the buildings, rode out to the launch pad and got the tour, then the next day in the VIP stands, 3 miles away, saw the launch. Simply awesome.

Also saw the Challenger disaster live from just up the road.

I was in downtown Sanford watching when Challenger exploded. I've seen almost every launch since moving here - STS 4 was my first. STS 135 goes up 7/8/11 at 11:40 a.m. Night launches are always great, but the best are those right after sunset, when it launches in dusk and rises into sunlight. After that launch, my town is largely closing up shop.

I'm a huge fan of the space program, but I'm conflicted about the end of the shuttle program. It's hugely expensive with questionable benefits. The shuttle and the space station are spectacular engineering achievements, but of limited practical and scientific usefulness. Compared with the unmanned space program, the manned program (which costs twice as much) is tough to justify. The unmanned space probes of the last 20 or so years have been so tremendously successful, it gets hard to justify the money to send people into low earth orbit. The Hubble would have been a flop without the shuttle to fix it, but if the Webb telescope works as advertised the scientific benefits will be huge. Congress largely let down NASA since Challenger because it wouldn't properly fund a replacement for the shuttle, but maybe it's the right result in the end.

Here's a few more pics, just because I like them. This is my boy and me at the rollout:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC0394-L.jpg

This is a photo from a ride, the last time two shuttles were on the pads;

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/shuttles2.jpg

And two from my chance to see a launch from VIP seating, July 4, 2006:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/613196-R1-050-23A.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/613196-R1-048-22A.jpg

Maybe because it's affecting most of us more dramatically right now than ever?

And true story: This next launch is the last of NASA's shuttle program. Thousands of people are being laid off and the Cape is going to be manned with a skeleton crew.

It's terrible in a multitude of ways that the shuttle program is ending, not to mention the cut backs
in space exploration in general. Of course a return of meaningful manufacturing to our country would certainly mitigate the upcoming lay offs.

1. Also saw an SR-71 take off at Edwards AFB (So. California desert). Very impressive how fast it accelerates and lifts into the sky, even for a jet.
2. Witnessed a Delta V rocket take off from Vandenburg AFB (Coastal So Calif). It took off just as the last of the sun was disappearing in the west, so pretty dramatic. And its loud, even from a few mile away.
3. Got to run around on the field at the Rose Bowl in 2008(?). Went to a one-day conference there in a meeting room, and after it was over the City of PAsadena rep ws able to get permission of us to go down on the field. It was only a few weeks after USC/Michigan game, so the end zones and the 'rose' at the 50 yd line were still there.
4. Landers Earthquake in So. Calif in 1992 on a Sunday morning. Was backpacking and stayed the night on top of Mt. San Gorgonio. The 7.5 quake happened about 4:30AM, followed by a 6.5 @ 5:00AM, only about 20 miles away. Scared the crap out of us, but the more impressive thing was looking down the sides of the mtn after the sun started rising and seeing all the dust rising out of the gullys from the rockfall.
5. Watching a car go across the Bonneville Salt Flats 'speedway' at 355mph during a ametuer 'speedweek'. Sure, you can see cars go 200mph at a ractrack, but 350mph takes it to a totally different level.
6. Last February I was at the track at Cal State Long Beach. It right under final approach to the Long Beach Airport, slightly hidden by trees until they're almost over the track. Most planes coming over have the typical 'whine' of a jet, or a single high rumble of a small piston engine. However, there was a LOUD rumble coming in. When it cleared the trees we all looked up at a flying B-29 (the same type plane that dropped the A-bombs on Japan in 1945). Considering there are only a few of these still flying, this had to be a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. Cool

The glory days of space are over for the US. Our new priorities include providing free healthcare (and free everything else) to illegals flocking here from all over. Pity. Space exploration was a nice dream while it lasted.

Now all we have left is Hope and Change.

Do everyone on here a favor and take this sh-- somewhere else. Thanks. :50:

It's terrible in a multitude of ways that the shuttle program is ending, not to mention the cut backs
in space exploration in general. Of course a return of meaningful manufacturing to our country would certainly mitigate the upcoming lay offs.

I make my living in manufacturing. For what it's worth, the US is the largest manufacturer in the world. Not doing as badly as some presume, not by a long shot. Sure, some mature technology and labor intensive stuff has gone to Asia but there is a lot that goes on in this country - there is plenty of meaningful manufacturing.

J.

I make my living in manufacturing. For what it's worth, the US is the largest manufacturer in the world. Not doing as badly as some presume, not by a long shot. Sure, some mature technology and labor intensive stuff has gone to Asia but there is a lot that goes on in this country - there is plenty of meaningful manufacturing.

J.
Well good for you, JohnJ80. However, when I shop at Target, Costco, JCP or most other places the "made in" usually says China, Vietnam, Mexico or some other third world cheap labor country. Where was your bike and its components made, your last purchase of socks and underwear, electronics, etc. JohnJ80, you are bucking the trend but, considering the balance of trade, we need more.

......

I could probably rent a bike for a day while we're there to get some riding in and skip an amusement park day, but I've noted a distinct lack of hills in Florida, the workout just wouldn't be the same.

Reserve a bike now and head over to Clermont, about 30 mi from the park area. It's not the Alps or Rocky's but it will give you a bit of fun. Here's a route I did a few months back...

Clermont (http://ridewithgps.com/trips/187760)

Well good for you, JohnJ80. However, when I shop at Target, Costco, JCP or most other places the "made in" usually says China, Vietnam, Mexico or some other third world cheap labor country. Where was your bike and its components made, your last purchase of socks and underwear, electronics, etc. JohnJ80, you are bucking the trend but, considering the balance of trade, we need more.

That's right. cheap labor country. Bring those jobs back into the US and try and find someone to take them. They would go largely unfilled. Heck, kids working at Target for the summer are getting $8/hour. My son has a summer job at $11/hr. You can't make (and would be foolish to try) underwear and socks with labor at that price.

My bike was frame was completely designed and built in WI by 100% US labor, the components drive train are shimano (Japan). It was assembled at my LBS also in WI by 100% US labor. More than 2/3 of the cost content of it was American. Not that any of that matters but it does illustrate my point well about the vitality of US manufacturing.

The balance of trade is heavily, HEAVILY driven by energy (oil) sales. Most of that other stuff - sure make it in Asia. So what? If the airlines got healthy and Boeing starts shipping planes in a big way again (that's on the way, BTW), you'll see some big changes in those trade surpluses. As well with a weak dollar, exports are already up. If you factor out US companies who have operations in both places (domestic and foreign) and oil, you see a very different picture.

Here's the issue too - if, for example, a US corporation has a branch in another country, and that US company has stuff made and brought back to sell in the US, that is counted as an "import" even though all the design, development, prototype manufacturing, process development, supply chain managemetn, sales, and every other corporate function was done in the US. And, most importantly, the retained earnings (profit) are in the US.

There is so MUCH manufacturing in the US, it's really impressive. Drive around the industrial parks of any city. There's all these companies that have name that you don't know what they are. Many of them are small and medium sized manufacturing companies. Here in the US, for example, the precision manufacturers association is sponsoring robotics competition nationwide so that they can encourage more kids to go into manufacturing disciplines because they have and foresee a shortage in those critical fields for them.

The issue is that the labor intensive manufacturing is going offshore. There are no more highly paid jobs for wrenching parts together. That is being done by robots not by hiring some kid out of high school who is going to get eventually get paid $70K per year with no further training. And you know what? The same thing is happening in Japan, Korea, Taiwan etc.... Some of the factories I've been in in Asia are incredible for the level of automation. What is really over are the days of low educated, low skilled jobs turning into middle class jobs with early retirement and a house in the 'burbs. That's no different a process than when it used to be that a high school education was an advantage over someone who had an 8th grade education (a few generations ago).

It is a shame that politics and poor fiscal management by our leaders are taking out space exploration as a priority.

J.

John J80 I Boeing is at its highest production rate ever.

Do everyone on here a favor and take this sh-- somewhere else. Thanks. :50:

Reading is optional.

John J80 I Boeing is at its highest production rate ever.

Correct. And it's going to really start showing up in the balance of trade numbers pretty soon especially when they bring new production (manufacturing) facilities on line. There's a lag from when the device is being produced to when it's shipped and invoiced (numbers).

J.

Correct. And it's going to really start showing up in the balance of trade numbers pretty soon especially when they bring new production (manufacturing) facilities on line. There's a lag from when the device is being produced to when it's shipped and invoiced (numbers).

J.
30 years and counting seen lots of stuff come and go including CEO's and supervisors. I'm still here.

Do everyone on here a favor and take this sh-- somewhere else. Thanks. :50:

I missed the election. The one where you apparently were elected to speak for everyone.

Actually politics does affect us and everything we do. It affects not only NASA but everyone's job security, the financial health of the nation and world, and yes, even bike lanes and MUPs. If you're offended by the words "Hope" and "Change", I have to ask, were you using those words liberally a couple years ago?

Reserve a bike now and head over to Clermont, about 30 mi from the park area. It's not the Alps or Rocky's but it will give you a bit of fun. Here's a route I did a few months back...

Clermont (http://ridewithgps.com/trips/187760)Thanks for the suggestion. Not quite the hills around where I live in the SF Bay Area, but not flat, either. If I can persuade my wife to take the kids to a park for a day without me. . . .