Shuttle Discovery Rollout

The Space Shuttle Discovery rolled out to the launch pad again this evening.  It is the second trip to the pad for this launch, but I'm hopeful that everything will go right this time.

This is the Discovery inside the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) before it began moving.  I'm on the 16th level here looking down on the orbiter.  You can see the open doors to the right, and if you look really hard you can see the small dot of light which is the launch pad in the distance.  Discovery will reach there sometime during the night.

The shuttle and external tank are sitting on the giant crawler.  And here it has just started moving.  I'm on the 5th level for this shot.  And I can tell you that when the crawler fires up its engines, this location really fills up with an exciting level of exhaust fumes.

Once it gets far enough outside the building they fire up the big Xenon lights.  The employees and their families are gathered a few hundred feet away on the right side of the shuttle.

And finally here she is, slowly creeping her way through the night.  It's almost one in the morning now, and I need to be up at 4:30 to be back out to KSC for more photos... stay tuned!

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I remember almost every detail of what happened 25 years ago today.  I was in class at Cocoa Beach High School.  It's one of the closest high schools to the Kennedy Space Center.  Almost everyone had a family member working out at KSC.  And while we all knew the amount of effort and work that went into launching a shuttle, they had become quite routine.  Liftoffs were happening about once a month.  In fact the Columbia had just taken off on Jan 12. 

So it was quite a terrible shock that we all got that day when the Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff.  Everything stopped at school.  I remember the horrible mis-shappen vapor-trail cloud hanging in the air.  I also remember rushing to the library, all of us crowded around one television set, watching the explosion repeat ad nauseum on an endless news-cycle loop.  The volume was cranked up all the way, but none of it made much sense.

It was a numbing experience to be sure.  Nobody was sure what would happen next.  While the rest of the country moved on, we had to deal with it on a daily basis.  Parts of the shuttle were washing up on the beaches.   People were being laid off.  Crazy rumors were everywhere.

But I also remember when that wonderful hopeful feeling began creeping back in.  Eventually NASA starting working towards the first post-Challenger launch.  It was a few years later, and I was more nervous watching that liftoff than I was watching the very first one.  I was sitting behind Cape Canaveral Hospital with a few friends watching the launch across the water.  As the shuttle headed into the sky we all held hands, and hoped and prayed that everything would be fine.  And it was!  It was a beautiful launch.  The crowd that was gathered there all screamed and cheered.

The shuttle that took off that day was the Discovery; the same one that will launch for the very last time in a few weeks.  And I will be there to document it as it happens.  In fact I'm sitting on my floor right now, surrounded by my camera gear.  I'm getting everything ready and making sure it's all in working order. I'll be leaving this Sunday to photograph Discovery as it rolls out to the launch pad for the last time. It seems like everything has come full circle.

And on that last note I have to offer up one huge 'Thank You!' to the wonderful Dr Cathy Subber.  She has very generously offered to sponsor my next two trips down to Florida to work on this effort. The Last Shuttle Project is only able to function because of donations and sponsors, so I'm really thrilled that she stepped up to help.  She was following along on my blog, and on Facebook, and she contacted me to ask what she could do.  She's a wonderful person, and if you are in the Chicago area you should definitely check out her practice- http://advancedhealthnaperville.com

So thanks to Cathy, and to the rest of you.  I enjoy telling people about it.  I was interviewed this morning by a local college that is doing an article on a few members of the team.  And then I found myself at a luncheon with people asking me how the project is going and when I'm headed down to Florida again.  I can't wait to share the photos with you from this next trip. Stay tuned!

Ballet Photos

Nancy Wiersum is the Community Development Director for our local TV channel- NCTV.  She contacted me because her daughter, Kat, has recently been selected to attend the Joffrey Ballet in New York.  She is leaving High School a semester early in order to take advantage of that opportunity.

But before that happens they wanted to get some interesting Ballet-inspired photos of Kat.  All we needed were some unique locations to serve as backgrounds.  I had a few places in mind that I thought would work.  They were all public buildings in Chicago.  But even public buildings require location fees for photography shoots.  I'm usually pretty good at sneaking around and getting the shots I need, so we decided to take a chance and see what we could get away before we got busted and kicked out. 

I don't even want to tell you what buildings we were in because I'd hate for this to show up in some search engine, and get an email asking for a retroactive location fee!  But if you live in Chicago you'll probably recognize this place.  Luckily they were setting up for a big party, and we were able to find a quiet corner on the top floor where we went unnoticed.  I even got away with using my 580 strobes.  And Nancy did a good job as my temporary photo assistant, holding the strobes when I needed her to.

Eventually we did get the boot from each of our locations.  But it always happened right when I snapped what I thought should be the last image.  I'd think "Awesome, we're done!"... and then some security guard would show up to ask what the heck we're doing.  

It was a fun day, and I wish Kat all the best in New York!  I'm sure she'll have a great time and when she gets back perhaps we'll get a chance to take some more photos.