When I was in the 4th grade my class took part in a contest to name a space shuttle. The rules of the contest stated that our name was supposed to reflect the name of a exploratory ship. I don’t remember what we chose as our name, but I remember thinking it was better than Endeavour. When I got into the 5th grade I was lucky enough to have a teacher who sparked my interest in science. Our class grew plants indoors, and one week we had an inflatable planetarium in our school gym. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Living in rural Montana did have one main advantage over the rest of the country – the unpolluted night sky. Even now, whenever I go home I sneak outside and stare at the stars.
A few years ago I was working on my 43things list, and put down “watch a shuttle launch” as something I would like to do. It was always in the back of my mind, but I’m a procrastinator, and even though I lived fairly close (10 hours) it didn’t really become a priority until the decommissioning of the space shuttle program was announced. I planned an entire vacation in September 2010 around watching a space shuttle launch (this eventually turned into a week-long Disney adventure) – but shortly after we paid for the Disney adventure the shuttle launch was postponed indefinitely due to a problem with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer payload.
Fast-forward a few months, and the Endeavour launch was scheduled for late April 2011. I had seen the tweets of @geekgirl – a local girl who was selected for the STS-133 #NASATweetup – and I knew I had to apply. #NASATweetup is a contest for people who follow NASA on twitter – only 150 people are chosen to attend the two day space nerd extravaganza. Emily & I both applied, and she got in the first round…I was super excited for her but a little disappointed that I didn’t get in straight away. Instead I had to wait for someone else to cancel so I could have a spot. When I got the “congratulations!” email from NASA, I squealed like a little kid…even though I was at work, in someone else’s office. I could hardly wait!
It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience, which I think is best shown via pictures. WARNING: there are going to be about a bazillion pictures in this post. I’m not sorry.
Driving through the gate on the way to the press site…I am squealing super hard here.
We were told “don’t wander around the NASA campus or your credentials will be taken away”. Then, there wasn’t a street sign for the Saturn Causeway. We drove by the iconic VAB, turned around as quick as we could, and made our way to the parking lot.
Signs are good.
Spacesuits are better!
Look, I’m an astronaut!
Look, so is Emily!
We learned about some of the experiments happening on the International Space Station. Apparently bacteria of all kinds LOVE space (this is a container full of E. coli, Pseudomonas & Salmonella). One experiment will look at the effect of microgravity on lysozyme’s antibacterial properties. We also got to see a Golden Orb spider whose ‘brother’ was sent on STS134 – scientists are studying the effect of microgravity on the spider’s web.
Next, @AstroClay showed off some of his best disco moves. (Just kidding. He was pretty funny, though).
Then we got on some buses for a tour of the NASA campus. First we went to the shuttle landing facility and saw the Mate-Demate device (where shuttles are “mated” with aircraft for ferry flights).
Then we (unbelievably) went inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. I told some friends that going inside the VAB was a close to a religious experience as I’ve had in quite some time, and I meant it. The VAB is the largest single-story building in the world, and is where the space shuttle is mated (yeah, rocket scientists love that word) with the external fuel tanks (orange) & solid rocket boosters (white). As with most things at NASA, it has been in use since the Saturn V rocket program.
Inside the VAB was a seemingly tiny wall, signed by every person who has worked on the space shuttle project. The astronauts of STS-134 signed it, too, next to the left solid rocket booster.
We had to wear long pants & closed toe shoes. Before our bus was allowed to enter the VAB complex, all smokers on board had to give up their lighters. A necessary precaution, I guess. Here’s the (unfilled) external fuel tank of Atlantis. These external tanks are manufactured in NOLA and make their way to NASA via barge.
Looking straight up…
The new Ares mobile launch tower is located pretty close to the VAB. It is currently unknown whether the tower will be used. The shuttle program was supposed to be retired in lieu of the Constellation program (which would launch crew & cargo separately; crew in the Ares I and cargo in the Ares V). The Constellation program was officially cancelled in April 2011.
We drove by Mission Control, and then went to the Saturn V rocket center.
We saw a mobile launch platform, which was originally used by the Apollo program and then modified to be used by the shuttles. See the two big square holes on the underside? That’s where the flames come out.
Little known fact: The big billowing clouds of white smoke during liftoff are not actually smoke – they are water vapor from the sound suppression system. Before the shuttle engines ignite, 300k gallons of water are dumped onto special outlets on the launchpad (“rainbirds”). This system protects the shuttle from being damaged by acoustical energy & rocket exhaust during liftoff.
Then we drove by the crawler transporters that are used to move the shuttle & mobile launch platform to the launchpad. They go only one way – forward – at approximately 1mph.
We got back to the press site just in time for a thunderstorm.
Emily chatted with LeVar Burton for a few minutes.
About 30 seconds before the storm hit, we were ushered into the NASA Press Room. Naturally we all took turns getting our pictures taken in front of the NASA microphones.
While the storm passed without harming the shuttle, the RSS retraction was delayed until midnight, so we weren’t able to watch it. (Photo courtesy of NASAHQPhoto)
The next morning, all the tweeps got our picture taken by the countdown clock. (Photo courtesy of NASAHQPhoto)
Then Astronaut Ricky Arnold spoke to us. He is a teacher AND an astronaut, and was selected to be an astronaut at age 40!
Leland Melvin, STS-129 mission specialist. @Astro_Flow and photographer. “You know how the Eskimos have 20 different words for white in order to describe snow? You need at least that many words to describe the color blue in the Caribbean.”
One of the Lego kits being sent up with Shuttle Endeavour. Kids are going to assemble these kits in the classroom, while watching the astronauts assemble them in space. This particular model illustrates the concept of gravity; when the astronauts release the blue lever in space, it will remain floating.
STS-134 weather officer Lt. Col Patrick Barrett gave us the “80% chance of cooperating weather” speech. Pretty good odds.
Then we met Seth Green. He was super nice even though I was super nervous. I’ve never met anyone famous before!
We gathered beside the Saturn Causeway to wave to the AstroVan on the way to the launchpad.
Hello, Astrovan!
You’re going the wrong way, Astrovan! (This was the moment when it was pretty clear the shuttle launch had been scrubbed).
The launch was scrubbed due to a heater failure in an auxiliary power unit. A heater failure could potentially cause the fuel line (hydrazine) to freeze, crack, and leak. And leaking fuel is a really bad thing on re-entry.)
As a consolation, we were able to hold Aerogel, the world’s lightest solid. Composed of silicon & air (mostly air), it is used to catch comet dust in space.
It was unclear at first how long the delay would last. At first, we heard it was a 24 hr delay. Then 48 hrs. We waited until word was the new launch date would be at least 7 days, and left for the long ride home.
(Did I mention that we drove to Florida, and then back to Alabama? With Emily’s parents? Not as bad as it sounds – Emily’s parents are some of my favorite people & it was nice to have multiple drivers on such a long trek, but I’m never driving to Florida again.)
Read Part 2 of the STS134 launch adventure…