Doc Smartass wrote:

I was all geared up to go for the Dec. 7th night launch, everything
fell apart (one guy with flu, 2 more with work the next day, and me
with no quick gas money to drive myself). The mission scrubbed, and
weather didn't look good for Friday or last night--NASA was talking
Tuesday night (which I'd miss because of work). I spent Friday
driving to Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, then to Fort Pike in
Louisiana, thinking that as long as I was going to miss out on the
real thing, I could at least go somewhere and _do_ something and see
something space-related. Stennis is where NASA tests the shuttle's
Solid Rocket Boosters. As it happens, I got there at 2 p.m. and
missed the last damn tour bus, so all I've got is pictures of an
Apollo lunar lander mockup and a LEGO model of the shuttle that are
on display at the Stennis Welcome Center. That's what I get for
stopping for lunch. :P~~~~

From there to Fort Pike; this entire stretch of Highway 90 (the
Rigolets, on the southeast rim of Lake Pontchartrain) is still
utterly trashed post-Katrina (the storm's eye passed almost right
over the fort)--boats, houses, trees, cars still in place where the
storm surge left them. Lots of pilings sticking up out of the ground
with no houses on them. By the time I was done looking around at Pike
and its sister a few miles west (Fort Macomb), it was getting dark
and there were more miles ahead of me than behind before I could
rest.

Things cleared up and the Discovery went up last night. While I
recorded it from CNN (those bastards love to talk, don't they? They
padded out 5 minutes before the launch, yapped and threw graphics up
on the screen, followed the thing all the way to external-tank
separation, and did a replay, all while yapping some more about how
good CNN is). I went outside and looked eastward. Just stars for a
few minutes--then I saw one that was rising, rising, brighter than
the rest, not twinkling. I'm not sure, but I think I saw the flare of
red and green flame as they ditched the tank. Damn cool. It's the
first time I've _seen_ it other than on TV, but it's still not the
same as being there.

Next time, dammit, I'm going to be there if I have to quit my job and
pump that flu-catchin' bastage full of Day-Quil.

Anyone here who was actually _there_? Make me jealous!

Wish I was, Doc.. I'ts prolly a sight to behold.