STS-135 Space Shuttle Launch: A Final Voyage

[BankAngle1987]

Friday, July 8th at 11:26am:

Countless throngs of travellers line the shores of Titusville, Florida and gaze out across the calm waters at Cape Canaveral. With eager anticipation, their eyes strain through shimmering heat waves to see every inch of the great white craft that stands erect just a few short kilometres away. Rising tall against the horizon, its nose points defiantly at the clear blue skies and the birds that circle high above. Inside the crew scans their instruments with careful detail, their senses keen from months of arduous training. They run through last-minute procedures and verify systems taking every possible precaution against that one, unexpected surprise. Through their ears come the nervous voices of mission specialists, barking orders from the thousands of pages of procedures that lie scattered across desks at Mission Control – each step a vital one in this final voyage. With all checks complete, the commander shifts his weight and settles in – his strong, hurried heartbeat echoing within the tight constraints of the thick white armour he wears. He allows his gaze to wander out the window through the small wisps of cloud that lie between the heavens and himself. His imagination soars beyond the deep, dark blue into the vacuous black expanse of space that will greet him in mere minutes. He can sense the excitement of his crew, and despite his years of experience, he can scarcely hide his own as his short, shallow breaths transmit across the intercom.

The countdown begins, a booming voice echoing out across the Cape to the masses that look on through thousand dollar lenses and twelve dollar binoculars. Each tries to absorb the enormity of the scene in his or her own way, grasping a fleeting memory to take home. The dull roar of the crowd is quickly drowned by a thunderous rumble as the immense engines of the craft spring to life. A brilliant flash many times brighter than a welder’s flame ignites at its base, and the pad is engulfed in a furious inferno. The restraints release and the eager vessel is at last free to ascend, its rockets clearing the tower with ease. Inside the crew utters silent thanks as the great steel scaffolding that lies a few short feet beside them disappears from view. Already several thousands of feet high and accelerating at an almost unfathomable rate, the shuttle pitches forward and begins its gently curving exit from the small blue planet into the abyss. While the craft has slipped the surly bonds, the billowing streak of smoke remains in the skies above Kennedy Space Centre as an awe-inspiring reminder of how man’s ingenuity and imagination took the stars seen through an Italian astronomer’s first telescope and brought them just a little bit closer.

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This July 8th, wherever you are, take a moment to pause and reflect on another chapter of aerospace history as it comes to a close. The launch of STS-135 will mark man’s final voyage inside the Shuttle, although hopefully not man’s final voyage outside our world. In the recent past, the public has lost interest in man’s conquest of space. The extensive cost of such adventures has been viewed by many as foolish, dangerous and irresponsible, given our own costly struggles here on earth. However, I would encourage humanity to reflect on this: to ignore our sense of curiosity and our desire to gain knowledge is to ignore a small part of what makes us human. It can be truthfully said that there are few places left on earth that man has not explored in some way. Through the advent of satellites and modern technology, we can stare with greater ease than ever before into the far corners of our planet. Yet, through this knowledge we have become ‘big fish in a small pond’, afraid to reach outside the realm of what is ‘feasible’ and see what great dark mysteries lie beyond. If we fail to continue our search into the vast ocean of space, we risk losing our only chance at survival in the distant future as mankind inevitably faces that one, final threat to our existence. But worse yet, we risk the heartbreaking realization someday that as a species we have reached the limit of our evolution.

Decades of space exploration have passed since Kennedy proposed “the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked” and in that time we have proven that nothing is impossible if we refuse to accept failure as an option. The faith, sacrifice, dedication and steadfast determination of those chosen few who first voyaged from the earth to the moon stands as true today as it did then. If we could speak to those titans of space exploration who have passed over through the tragic misfortunes of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia, their voices would echo to us that it was worth the cost. They would speak of the beauty and majesty still left to be discovered out among the stars, not by some robot or satellite, but in the vivid colour of the human eye. They would urge us to forge ahead through the challenges of today, both economical and political, and strive to discover the profound truths that the universe holds for us. They would tell us that the risk is worth the reward.

I hope you will join me in wishing the crew of STS-135 a safe and successful flight as they write the last few words on this chapter of man’s journey to the stars.

[Apollo]

I ran across a few good sites when watching Endeavour's last trip, some of you all may find these interesting!

http://www.spacevidcast.com/ - Live streaming video with commentary (HD too!)

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... index.html - NASA's Space Shuttle Homepage

For Endeavour, NASA also put up a KML file to track the shuttle via google earth - it was pretty nifty!

For now, the mission is on paper for a July 8th launch, although the weather forcast is looking less then favourable.

[JBI]

Please keep your fingers crossed, or whatever superstitious thing that one does, for good weather. A buddy of mine got tickets for the NASA causeway to view the launch. Even though the scheduled launch isn't until 11:30ish, we have to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center no later than 4am. I'm really excited, but so hoping that the weather co-operates.

[BankAngle1987]

Thanks for the links Apollo! I'll be sure to have a look if the launch goes ahead. I hope the weather turns around. Given that this is the Shuttles last trip though, I wouldn't be surprised if it didnt since this one has to be absolutely perfect.

[winds_in_flight_wtf]

With over 1 million people trying to jam into the area ... I would arrive earlier than 4am. Had a few friends who had to arrive earlier than that just to view a regular scheduled mission.

[planett]

We were given the morning off school to watch the early shuttle launches. Crippen and Young in '81. Loss of silicon tiles was assumed to be a show stopper then. I remember they lost a lot on those first missions. All operational experience referred to Apollo in those days. Names like Aldrin, Collins, Carpenter, Armstrong, Cooper, Glenn, Shepard were memory items in science classes.

[BankAngle1987]

Successful launch!! Didn't think they'd make the weather window but they pulled it off! Godspeed STS-135.