Last night we found out that there would be a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral; the Endeavour STS-127. A live rocket launch, how cool is that?!
We started out from Miami around 09:00 in the morning so we would be there in time to get a nice spot in the space view park which is approx 12 miles from the launch pad. That´s a pubic park which means we didn´t need tickets for kennedy space center which apparently is "sold out in matter of minutes" we have been told.
We did a nonstop drive to Titusville ,were the park is, and got "front row" seats. The weather was warm and the sky was clear. We had water, coke, subways, empty memory cards and full batteries. Perfect. We also had to wait 5 hours. The hours went by and after a while the communication between the rocket and control center was broadcasted in the park as they went thru many procedures to check everything. This launch has been postponed 3 times before due to bad weather. But today there were not a cloud in sight. Or?
As 07:13:45 (yes, they time the launch down to the second) was getting closer the park was getting packed. Around 07:00 you couldn´t get out of there because there were people everywhere.
At the same time we , and the NASA weather people, began to notice some very very dark clouds which came from west.
Soon after the speaker voice began talking about a security zone of 25 nautical miles which MUST be free of thunderclouds if the shuttle is to get a go! from the tower.
We waited some more. There was more thunder and the clouds got darker.
We had waited for 5 hours and the thunder clouds gathered around kennedy space center ca. 25 minutes before the scheduled launch. We couldn´t believe it!
3 minutes before the scheduled launch the voice came back over the pa system and said that the launch was cancelled and they will try again tomorrow.
It began to rain soon after.
Now we are at Best Western hotel in a small town a little north of Titusville were we checked the weather as we might try again tomorrow. The weather for the next week is thunderclouds all over this region. A spokes person for NASA was in the news tonight saying that there is a 40% chance that they will launch tomorrow. Good luck, we will watch in on TV!
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