Last Monday NASA launched the Space Shuttle Endeavour for the last time. Built to replace the Challenger, which exploded in February 1986 on liftoff, killing its entire crew, the Endeavour has made numerous trips to the International Space Station, traveling more than 14 million miles through its years of service.
I never grow tired of watching Shuttle launches, and it was a very special privilege to be in Titusville several years ago with my family to witness the launch of Endeavour.
We were on vacation in Florida, doing the Orlando tourist thing with our two sons. One of my friends lives there and being a space buff like I am, had been to Titusville for numerous Shuttle launches. He knew where the best viewing spot was and he graciously consented to be our tour guide.
We left a little before noon for the scheduled 2:41 p.m. launch. I expected miles of traffic into Titusville, especially in light of the fact that most schools were closed for spring break and many families were vacationing in Florida. But we left early enough to beat the throngs of spectators and arrived at the Walgreen's drugstore at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and State Road 50, a popular spot for launch observers, a mere hour later.
The crowds grew quickly. A sea of people was setting up lawn chairs as far as the eye could see—on grassy areas that toed up to the roadway and along the narrow strip of land separating U.S. Highway 1 from the Intracoastal Waterway.
It was like one huge block party: The hot-dog vendor on the corner was kept busy. I waited in line 45 minutes for two hot dogs, one Polish sausage, and one Italian sausage. By the time I made it back to my family with our lunch, we only had an hour to go before the launch.
It was a gorgeous day as we stood on the bluff overlooking the water. A few pelicans flew by lazily overhead through the blue sky, oblivious to the impending invasion of their air space. There were just a few puffy white cumulus clouds in the air, and the sun was bright but a light breeze blew in our direction from across the water, making it very comfortable.
Across the water, little more than five miles away, we could see the Endeavour on its launch pad.
As the launch clock ticked away the seconds, with only five minutes left, it became apparent to everyone that this mission would be a go unless something major happened at the last minute to abort the launch.
And then it happened.
A huge orange flame shot out from underneath the Shuttle as the two solid-rocket boosters simultaneously ignited. The flame was momentarily hidden behind the cloud of thick, gray rocket-fuel exhaust, and the white clouds of water vapor from the combustion of the liquid oxygen and hydrogen fueling the Endeavour's three main engines.
Instantly, the crowd exploded into wild cheers as the orange flame reappeared, and the Endeavour began to rise from its launch pad. As the wind carried the rumble of the engines to our ears some 25 seconds later, the ground trembled, and I felt a lump in my throat.
This wasn't just a rocket launch people had come to see. This was America. It was like visiting Mount Rushmore or the Washington Monument.
People had gathered in Titusville that day from many different countries and I stood there among them as a proud American, who believes that despite all of our warts, we are still the greatest country in the world.
E-mail: gjrummo@optonline.net
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