STS-130 Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch

Yesterday I got up at 4:00am and drove half an hour to Cocoa Beach only to find when I got there that the launch had been cancelled and rescheduled for today. So this morning I got up at 3:30am and drove to Cocoa Beach again. Luckily this time the weather was cooperating and I got to see the shuttle launch. This is the last night launch before they retire the shuttles. The shuttle lit up the entire sky when it took off and you could see the giant fireball crossing the sky. It was awesome. This time I remembered to take video but as of right not it seems like the memory card is irreversibly corrupted which I am really, really unhappy about. The launch was for Space Shuttle Endeavour’s 13-day flight where they will conduct three spacewalks and deliver a connecting module that will increase the International Space Station’s interior space. Node 3, known as Tranquility, will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecrafts. After the node and cupola are added, the space station will be about 90% complete.

Night Space Shuttle Launch

I got to see a night launch! The Space Shuttle Discovery launched at 11:59 PM on Mission STS-128. The shuttle will use Leonardo, a multi-purpose logistics module to carry experiment racks to the International Space Station. I drove up to Cocoa Beach to see the launch at about 11:30. This time I remembered to bring my cameras and I had my telephoto lens. I wish I had thought to take a video with my smaller camera while I was taking photos with my SLR. All of the beaches on the way to Coco Beach were packed with cars. When the space shuttle launched it lit up the entire sky before I could see the actual shuttle and then there was a huge fireball heading up into the sky and you could feel the rumbling. Someone said that this was the last scheduled night launch before the shuttles are retired. Once it got up pretty high I could see the smoke trailing behind it. My pictures don't really do it justice (the first picture is not mine). I would love to go to the space center to watch a launch in the future.

My first launch!

So I finally, on the 6th launch attempt, got to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour launch. Of course the other 4 times I went to see it launch I had my camera with the telephoto lens but not this time. I was at work so I went out to the beach and I took a picture with my phone. If I had remembered my camera the launch would have probably been scrubbed again. You could see the big fireball go up and disappear into the clouds and feel the rumble from the launch about 3 minutes after the actual launch.

About the launch: STS-127 is the 29th shuttle mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour sets sail on its 23rd mission with the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility and Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section. The facility will provide a type of "front porch" for experiments in the exposed environment, and a robotic arm that will be attached to the Kibo Pressurized Module and used to position experiments outside the station. The mission will include five spacewalks.