"Space exploration is a force of nature unto itself that no other force in society can rival." ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

  

Well, we saw the rocket launch! We headed up toward Cape Canaveral the day before the 8:30 a.m. scheduled liftoff. Beginning our day with a 3:00 a.m. wake up call, we were at the parking lot gates around 4:30 (along with a few hundred other people). It's fair to say that we (and once again, probably a couple hundred others) were unprepared for how bitterly cold it was. Now I realize that everything is relative -bitterly cold in Florida is nothing like bitterly cold in NY. We had followed the weather for several days prior to the launch because more often than not, weather is the cause of any scrubbed launches - high wind and heavy rain being right up there. While we knew that the winds were going to be high, there was no rain forecast for the morning. Neither one of us had paid much attention to the temperature. It had been quite warm for the previous couple of days, and we dressed according to that. Huge mistake!

Fortunately, a gift shop was open and while I held our place in line for the shuttle to the viewing area, Bruce ran in and got us each a sweatshirt. Navy blue for me, and red (we thought) for him. Honestly, it looked red when he came out and we each put ours on. As the day progressed, and the sun came up, it became apparent that it was not red, but bright pink! I have said before that Bruce knows how to have a good laugh at himself. He wore his sweatshirt with pride, and enjoyed the couple of humorous comments that he got from other visitors!

Once we arrived at the viewing area, we set our chairs up and grabbed some breakfast (over $10.00 for two yogurts with granola - yikes!) Then we headed to our seats, with wind blowing cold, and each put our legs into the sleeves that our folding chairs came in, in order to keep warm. For once I looked like a mermaid - kind of.

The viewing area is approximately 6 miles from the launch site. While I did take a video with my camera, the one below is the one you want to watch. It will also provide you with information about the rocket itself. Next week, I will share our tour of the Kennedy Space Center. A fascinating place!