Forgive me for putting them as a new topic-but I thought they might get buried under everything else-and it is something to pass onto guests-those lucky enough to be there.
We will miss out by one day!
Anyway for those lucky people...
Feb 28 6-48am
April 4 no time as yet
May 2nd ' '
July 11 ' '
Aug 1 ' '
Sept 6''
2003
Jan 16th
That's yer lot folks!
I'm soooooooooo disappointed!
Orlandobabe
Orlandobabe
We always miss it by a few days, sickening.
Last year we thought we had it sussed and was there for the launch, but guess what, it was cancelled and re-sheduled.
Emma
We could go to a landing on May 13th (I think-don't quote me on that one as I haven't checked and relying on my feeble memory!)
Has anyone been to a landing? Is it worth making all that effort for?
Orlandobabe
We saw the landing last July from the front garden of our villa. I'd worked out what direction to look and could see it on it's descent accross Florida.
We then heard the sonic boom and went inside to watch the landing at the Space Center a couple of minutes later.
Very impressive and well worth us staying up (it was 11:35pm).
Saw the launch last December from the car park of Wal-Mart by Medieval Times too.
John & Sarah
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas
Not quite the same I know but I've stood in my back garden in Kent and seen the Space Station followed by the shuttle going round. After a phone call from my brother to check the weather conditions (he works at Kent uni in Cant., we are in Rochester) he was trying to decide if it was worth staying there or coming home to watch it. After detailed instructions from him as to where to look in the sky, saw both of them going round and then after he'd watched it from Canterbury, he came and said they were doing another circuit (as you do round the world in an hour!) as the weather had been to bad in Florida for the shuttle to land, so we got to watch it twice within a couple of hours. I'd still rather go to Florida to watch it.
Babblin Boo
My friends and I should have missed the December launch last year, but it was 6 days late, so we were very lucky and got to see it from the Hall of Fame.
Anyone know how many days in the "launch window" before they actually give up on the mission? Or don't they ever give up? Is the date that they give for the launch, just the 1st date that they intend to try?
Orlandobabe has posted a launch for 4th April, and if it is delayed by 3 days then my husband may actually get to see one at last!!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
It just depends on th cicumstances Margot, if it is on the day of the launch the actual "launch window" can be anywhere from 5 mins to about 20. The weather at the projected time of the launch is obviously critical, but also, the orbit of whatever the shuttle is going to meet, (e.g. the International Space Station), it's a long way to go if they find they've missed the orbit of the station etc,.
The "net" date listed on the schedule means "no earlier than" so that is the first date they will be attempting to launch. We had passes for a launch last August (STS 107) that still hasn't gone yet. Because the missions are planned so far in advance, the payloads may not be ready by the time specified so they'll slip until ready.
We went to see the launch of a rocket in 1997 (can't remember what kind) which was carrying the "Cassini" probe to Saturn, passing by one of it's moon Titan to collect data and then landing (all being well) on Saturn. As I say it was launched in 1997, is scheduled to arrive in 2004 - 7 years later and if all goes according to plan they hope the batteries wil last for 15 MINS to send back data, even that time may be shorter now. Just think waht we could do with the money that must have cost.
Nothing to do with your question Margot, just thought you might find it amusing.
Babblin Boo
We were hoping to cathch the launch last December and actually went out to the coast to watch it. We were advised to go to Titusville and so we did. We hung round the coast for a while and then found the launch had been cancelled. We tried again the next day after checking on the radio and agin made it out to Titusville and again it got cancelled. By this time we had given up hope of seeing it. On the day it actually took off we were scheduled to be at Epcot and Magic Kingdom - so we did not make it to Titusville. Whilst we were on the monorail from MK to EPC a young girl pointed to the sky and asked her mom what that bright light was in the sky. It was then we realised that it was the shuttle. So we missed it after all that. What a shame! Maybe next time we will be lucky.
My son is expecting to see it Tomorrow - that is if it is still on schedule as he advised us that the weather this week has been very bad with heavy rain since Saturday.
Rodders
We saw the launch last Easter from the plane bringing us back to the UK.
It was sensational to see it zooming past the window of the plane, we were lucky we were on the right side of the plane for once, with 3 window seats between us so we had an excellent view.
For the last 6 years when we have been over we have either missed it by a views days before we arrive or it goes the day or so after we have left.
It really made a special holiday even more so !!
Carole & Keith
We are also hoping that the April 4th will be delayed so we may be able to catch it.
Emma
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