FL Survival / A Survival Community
General Forum => General Discussion => : cook July 23, 2015, 06:21:02 AM
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Back in the early 80"s I lived in Tampa.Bunch of us went to school,worked nights,and lived in the same area.5 or 6 times we would load up a few cars about midnight,and head to CC to watch a shuttle launch.Only got to see 2,the rest were scrubbed.
What an awesome sight to see,thousands of people lined up and down the streets,worlds largest block party.I think a few beverages were drank :).Don't know how close we were,just found a place along some road where there was an open spot,cars 2 and 3 deep.
The sound ,roar,smoke,was incredible..could feel it in your bones!It was so large,it seemed to be slow,but before you knew it,it was gone with just a smoke trail.
Fun times,something I'll remember my whole life..I was in my early 20's at the time,some memories are a little fuzzy from then ::)...but this I'll never forget!
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As a kid, I was lucky enough to see 2 Apollo/Saturn 5 launches, I cant remember which ones but I'm pretty sure one was Apollo 8. I would have loved to see a shuttle launch but never did.
Being a space kid, rockets have been a part of my life. I belong to a HighPower Rocketry club, we shoot 6'+ rockets to over a mile, brings back the rush!
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In early high school my buddies and I went to every launch. High school physics teacher wrote us a get out of school pass if we wrote a paper about what we saw. We camped out on Merritt Island at the Banana river for every launch. So many were scrubbed in the early days, but we saw them all. The first launch I missed was in college when Challenger blew up.
Later I ended up living i Merritt Island just a few miles from where I used to camp to watch launches. Even from the house you could feel the rumble and ground vibrate. We used to take the boat into the Banana river and watch from as close as they would let us, about 15 miles from the pad. I once got a VIP pass for the wife and I from a friends wife who was exec secretary to some NASA big wig. Watched from the visitor center you see on TV with the big count down clock, only 3 miles from the pad. I was so amazed, the air actually popped insted of rumbled. I still have that one on video tape.
I used to have tons of pictures of launches but all were lost in various computer crashes and no backup.
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Those were fun. We usually watched them from the beach. One year we were at Gasparilla. On the launches we couldn't attend we could still feel it and watched the windows shake at take off. The most memorable was a mission vs experiencing the take off. We were at awaiting the 4th of July fireworks in the Crestview area. We could see the lights of USA and the Russian space shuttle fly overhead. They spoke to us through a local radio station. After they passed they played the National anthem and the fireworks began.
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On the bucket list. The last item on my list is wrestle a grizz..
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Moved to the Space Coast in '97. Saw every shuttle launch from that point on. Even had seats in the grandstands by the clock once - as close as you could get.
My first launch was a night launch that I watched from the beach. So impressive. A quarter of the sky around the shuttle was lit up blue as day.
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One of my smaller ones going off, just a 4 footer! Thought you all might enjoy it.
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2007 I was living out of a motel room in Kissimmee while wiring a Office Depot. The parking lot at the motel was point right towards the cape. Saw what looks to be the Delta series rockets lifting off. I think it was like 3 went up one after another. I was wondering if nuclear war had started for a quick second.
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The early ones, before there was even anyone onboard, used to parallel the beach going south. There was a NASA radar tracking station on the beach in Juno. Saw every one as a kid, as they were heading down range.
Watched every shuttle that wasn't obscured by clouds before we moved to far North Florida. One of the best spots for a night shuttle launch was from the top of the bridge going to Singer Island.
When the Challenger lifted off I saw it through my windshield in West Palm Beach, heading to lunch. I was very confused when it blew up, I couldn't figure out what it was until I saw the news.
Being a kid during the age when jet planes were new, rocket planes breaking speed barriers, Sputnik, and America's journey into the unknown with the space program was an exciting time.
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My son just turned 8. He cant understand why we sent men to the moon when I was 5, but cant do it now. space launches are great, NASA losing its vision (and funding), not so much.
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It's just like the rest of our country. All of our dreams are dying.
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Cool stories..I really don't remember where we parked..just along the road with everyone else,where ever there was a spot.
When I lived in Miami,I remember looking for smoke trails after a launch,but never saw one either day or night.
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Living just out of Orlando, I watched several shuttle launches from my front yard. Also got to see one from "on base" thanks to a friend in the Navy. That was incredible.
One memorable event was not a launch, but a landing. We had just moved up to the area. I was sitting in my trailers living room playing a Nintendo game. When suddenlY, BOOM! BOOM!! The house shook, the game controller got thrown, and I hit the deck for cover. Only took a moment to figure out what happened. Took longer to completely calm back down, and stop laughing at myself.
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Hahaha, remember those double booms well...
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Was fishing at a lake one time with my wife,pair of F-15"s made a low pass...not a good judge..but maybe 100 feet?No boom,but the blast didn't hit us until they were almost out of sight..they were going that fast..something I'll always remember.-
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I grew up in Daytona Beach. I have seen many of the rockets/missiles/shuttles go up. Best launches of all are the night ones. I have even seen the shuttle riding on the back of the 747 transporter heading back to the cape, now that is impressive. One came down the coast at maybe 500 feet and looked to be just about stall speed. That one was the shuttle that flew the last mission on its way back to be prepped for launch. And in 1972, my scout troop went to the cape to meet some of the astronauts and see the Apollo 15 launch from the visitors complex.
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I used to head other with family.i remember the 1st shuttle launch. On the way out i learned a few new words for drivers via my dad. Still remember challenger goin off & bam & thinkin thats not normal.now i just step out in the front pasture & look due east.
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I live in Sanford, so we're close enough to see them. I have gone over to the beach to see a couple, but one was really cool... we have a friend whose dad used to work at the Cape. She was able to get a VIP pass to go right across the river from the launch pad for the first night Shuttle launch. She invited us to go along. It was really cool! When the rockets lit up, it was as bright as morning! All the fish in the river started jumping (I guess they were confused). About 15 seconds after the rockets lit up, the sound hit us. It was amazing! Still nothing like the old Apollo launches, from what the old timers tell me.
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Living almost my whole life about 40 miles or so almost due west of pad 39B, Ive seen every shuttle go up from the first one to the last one.
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When I lived in Tampa I could watch the shuttle launches from my apartment balcony. It's sad that the current administration is throwing$$$ away to other countries and bullsnot programs instead of continuing the space program.
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Saw the Atlas rocket launch this morning, nearly 200 miles away! Just happened to be pointing in the right direction at a stoplight as the orange fireball rose then the amazing trail which lit the sky after it was in orbit, the rising sun lit it up, glowed neon, totally amazing!
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I was in Kissimmee and had vowed to watch it, but I just couldn't quite make it that early... :(
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Saw Thursday the AF launched a new sattelite.
Before I get too old,I really need to get off my butt and take my grandson up to see one,as much for me as him. O0
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The first one I saw was at night time and it was absolutely incredible.
I think the night launches are so much better than the morning/day ones.
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Just saw at 8(monday morning) there will be another launch,weather service(NWS) with 12 micro satelites.
Here is the twist.
The rocket is mounted under a converted 747,which will fly up however high they go,then launch it..kinda like a cruise missle but for space.
I imagine its been done before,makes sense,just never heard or thought about it before. O0
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Yes, I heard about it too, unfortunately, even if it was a conventional launch, this mornings fog wouldn't allow me to see it. I would imagine the release would be quite high anyways. I think they said its at 8:19am
Yes, many times before. The first private company to achieve orbit (I believe) was SpaceX did it. Going back to the 60's, NASA did the X-15 program.
I'm a child of the space age so I've always followed the space program. Guess that's why I play with High powered rockets to this day!
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Feb.6 spaceX has one planned,think they said it is a "heavy"12 engines...I gotta search the web and see what I can find out.Long drive with youg grandkids if they cancel it with 10 seconds,will have to search what else is near by if that happens. O0
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Does seeing it on TV count? I been to a couple of those..
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Way cool,up early and saw a wierd formation cloud this morning.Full moon and bright at 3 am,and seemed like it was a ..I don't know what to call it.Turned out Space X launched.
Way cool. O0
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Saw on the news this morning they imploded 2 of the orignal launch towers,maybe from1955?Reminds me of my childhood days playing with estes rockets...good times ! O0
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Was overcast last night/early morning..but another spaceX launch,didn't see a thing.
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Should be plenty of shooting stars this weekend if you look to the north.Think its ppercius metorite shower. O0
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Saw several,but started clouding up around 3:30 a.m....instead of streaks they were more light camera flashbulbs popping off,just a quick bright flash O0
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Just a heads up(bad pun,is there any good ones?)
Super moon,and thur night at 8:45,feb 21,Space X will have a launch! O0
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Was cloudy here..might of seen something,maybe just wishful thinking.
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same with me, night time clouds are getting in the way.
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I have been to many rocket launch's.
some launched from my shoulder.
my favorite was the M270 MLRS.... 12 rocket launches in just over 1 minute .
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Cool story
Those films of MLRS are amazing O0