The Launch

We were lucky enough to be in Cocoa Beach, Florida on August 8 to see Space Shuttle Endeavor launch into orbit. One of Dad’s crew members from his space mission, Dave Williams, is flying in space for the second time and we flew out to see the launch and support him. Endeavour’s current mission is being spent at the International Space Station, and Dave is scheduled for three spacewalks during his time in orbit– an incredible opportunity. The launch went off without a hitch – on time and in beautiful (if oppressively hot) weather. At our outdoor viewing site, there was a huge digital clock out on the lawn counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until launch time.

At a few minutes to launch, all the guests stood up and sang the National Anthem together. Then, everyone counted the final ten seconds out loud, in true shuttle-launch fashion, and cheered the liftoff until Endeavour’s trail of smoke led to a point too small to be seen.



We were only at the launch viewing site for a couple hours, but Dad got to catch up with old friends and colleagues from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (Dave William’s employers). It was an exhilarating experience, and a reminder for us of how inspiring it can be to be involved in the space program.