On Day 2 of the Tweetup I arrived at the tent at 9:30am after leaving the hotel just after 8am. Right after I set up we went to the countdown clock for a second group photo of the event. Otherwise, there really wasn’t anything else planned that we were required to attend. The agenda was a little more relaxed. At 10:30 we went directly across from the VAB to see the Astrovan pass by. It stopped for a few moments so we all were able to get some good pictures. We were told it was tradition for the Press to wave and clap. Almost all 150 of us were out there cheering them on. We couldn't see them from behind their tinted glass, but I'm sure they appreciated our gesture.
I took some time after that to scope out a spot for my tripod. I didn't plan on being behind the lens during the launch. Instead, I planned on using my wired remote to fire off some shots with the hope that one of them would come out. I definitely lucked out as you can see below.
Just like the day before we had a few speakers come and talk to us as well as taking some questions. These included Col. Barrett Chief Weather officer came and spoke about the weather at 11:30am. A little after Noon Dave Wolf Spoke. He is 4-time astronaut and has done 7 spacewalks. The last person to talk to us was Chris Mienert #4 on the Close-out crew. He is one the last people to speak in person with the astronauts.
Once Mr Meinert had finished speaking I left the tent to take a bathroom break. I checked the countdown clock and saw we were at the T-9 minute hold, typically the longest. When I exited the bathroom I checked the time to see it was 2:10pm Just after that the countdown resumed. I was in a slight panic because I still needed to put my camera on the tripod and connect the shutter release. Neither takes a lot of time, but the launch really snuck up on me. I was able to have everything set up with about 7 minutes remaining. The anticipation was enormous. I periodically took a picture with the shutter release to make sure it was working and to prevent my camera's auto-shutoff from kicking in. T-30 seconds. This was it. I was going to see a shuttle launch. T-9, 8, 7, 6, You can begin to see the plumes of smoke. Then in an instant you could see Atlantis raise in to the sky. I am trying to take it all in while I am frantically clicking on my shutter release. The noise is overwhelming. It isn't deafening, but there is nothing else like it. There is a throaty deep roar interspersed with cracks and pops of raw power. Then just as you have started to hear it you feel it as well. The hair on your skin vibrates. It is almost like the ground is alive and is angry with the thrust that has been put upon it. Atlantis continued to rise with the noise receding. It became a big speck in the sky before it disappeared behind its own exhaust cloud. And just like that it was over. It was thirty or so seconds of pure adrenaline, awe, and respect for this incredible vehicle.
My only regret was not doing this years earlier and being able to see more than one launch. That's a pretty minor regret all things considered. There are millions of people in this country who have never seen and will never see what I witnessed today. For that, I am beyond thankful that I was able to witness the final launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis.
The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132