3....2....1.....Blast Off!

About a month ago, we decided to take a little trip and also take advantage of our flight benefits. Paul came up with a plan for us to go see a once in a lifetime event. The launch of the Endeavour Space Shuttle in Cape Canaveral, Florida. On Thursday, Paul, Noah, and I boarded a plane to Orlando, Fl. This is where our adventure began.
We arrived into 80 degree weather with 95% humidity. We checked in to our hotel, and walked over to Denny's for some dinner, as it was almost midnight in Florida. We got up the next morning and headed out to Cape Canaveral. You can purchase ticket's to be at the Kennedy Space Center for a launch, you can take a tour of the Space center and do all kinds of astrounaut things there. Then you are bussed to a place 6 miles away to watch the launch. If you have not purchased tickets (($$$ and ltd. qty)) then you can watch from all kinds of places. We chose to drive up to Titusville and see what we could find.

We ended up at a park directly across from the launch pad. We figured that we were about 10 miles away. So we found a bench, had some lunch and waited.
And waited.....until Paul headed over to the flea market to get us some chairs so we could move up without having anyone in front of us.
By the end of the night, it was standing room only in this park.
We waited some more.....Noah and I saw 2 Dolphins, and a Manatee swimming about 20 feet in front of us.
A shot of the Nasa Assembly building where the Shuttles are housed and prepared until they are moved to the launch pad. The launch pad was just left of the building. We waited some more, and were joined by 2 guys from Raleigh, NC to our left with telescopes. They were very kind and let us take turns looking at the shuttle, the moon, and Jupiter with it's moons. When we gave up the bench for our super stylin chairs, a couple immediately sat down behind us. They were from Scotland. The couple to our right were from Texas.
The moon came up. It was huge, and orange, and awesome through the telescope. You can see the launch pad and the Nasa building to the right.
We're still waiting....
We were getting more and more excited as the clock ticked down. I learned a few things about the launch, and the 7 Astronauts on board. They will be adding on to the International Space Station. So that up to 6 Astronauts can live there at one time. One of the current ISS occupants Greg Chamitoff will be coming home with the rest of the Endeavour crew. After being on the ISS for almost 6 months! They will be leaving Sandra Mangus there until the next launch which is scheduled to be Feb. 12th. I also read this transcript from the day of the launch, which gives you times, and explains what was going on as we sat and waited.
We have Ignition!!
I took photo's with our film camera, and Paul took video of it on the digital...so if you want to see the video go here:)
The smoke trail through the moon.
The shuttle has dropped the solid booster rockets and is sailing into orbit. It was an incredible sight. I was moved to tears (imagine that). I wish that it took longer than the 2.5 min. it took for it to only be a tiny speck in the sky. I am so grateful that I got to see it, with Noah and Paul, and my own two eyes. Noah loved it (my little Astronaut). He was such a good boy on this whole trip. It took us a LONG time to get back to our hotel that was about 40 miles away. 3 hours and 45 min. later we pulled in the parking lot. Noah was so tuckered out.
We then got on a plane the next morning and spent 6 hours in Atlanta until we were the very last ones to get onto a FULL plane home. Thanks Paul, for the epiphany about a month ago. Thanks Noah for being such a good boy on the 3 day whirlwind. And Thanks to Grandma Nancy who watched Max so we didn't have to take him on a 3 day whirlwind tour. If you want to keep up with the Endeavour's daily business go here. To see the space station and Endeavour pass at night check the schedule here.