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……..Like a native.
A Day In the Life on Florida’s Space Coast.
Watching a shuttle launch from my favorite spot on the Indian River (Cocoa, Florida) across from Cape Canaveral.
OriginalNoise.Org
— dave hogerty (OriginalNoise.Org)
A (Fiery) Day In the Life — After a two-minute (Florida) intro, you’ll be on the Space Coast, the north end of Indian River Drive in Cocoa, Florida … Standing on the bank looking toward the Cape, the VAB, and space shuttle Discovery, quietly waiting for its scheduled departure.
IT WAS THE FIRST LAUNCH THE YOUNG FAMILY HAD EVER SEEN.
I was reminded of May 5, 1961, when my mother took me into the front yard of our small house in Cocoa to watch Alan Shepard’s launch, and becoming the first American Astronaut to reach outer space. The First Hero in America’s competition with Russia.
Looking across the river to Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral, you’ll see the [VAB] Vehicle Assembly Building, where Discovery stands still, staged and ready for its explosive departure, headed toward the International Space Station, orbiting 300 miles above.
The launch is, as always, visually stunning, but for me, having seen so many, it’s the sound of this recording that stands out most. After ignition, you hear Grandma Rose shriek, and frantically try to get her 5-year-old grandson’s attention. “Look Josh! Look at the ball of fire!” she hollers, as she too is feeling the exhilaration of watching a manned launch. It’s hard to describe just how dramatic a rocket leaving Cape Canaveral actually is …
I imagine French author Jules Verne, who imagined and wrote of such an event, more than 100 years before it happened, being stunned by the experience.