Launch of Shuttle STS125 Hubble Repair Mission

Thursday
Feb 9, 2012
1:26:59 PM

Welcome

Launch of Shuttle STS125 Hubble Repair Mission

On May 11, 2009 NASA launched space shuttle mission STS125 to repair the Hubble telescope and I was lucky enough to take a friend, Rick, visiting for a week from Massachusetts, to view the launch.

Though it rained a short time after the launch, it was clear at the time and visibility was great for picture taking at launch time, 2:02 pm.

Our trip started several hours earlier after sharing a morning doughnut and coffee with our friends, Sunny & Lali, at their home.

When we saw this sign along the way, we couldn't resist taking a picture by balancing the camera on top of the car and setting it's timer. YeeHaw Junction is a narrow place on the road where US Highway 441, intersects with State Road 60, and Florida's Turnpike. It was originally named Jackass Junction in the 30s when local ranchers rode their burros to visit a local brothel, the Desert Inn. The inn is still there, but the state forced a name change for the community and Yeehaw Junction was selected.

We finally got on our way a bit after 9:00 am and hadn't driven an hour before the windshield was almost completely blocked by "Lovebugs."

These pests escaped from labs at the University of Florida back in the 70s and have no natural predators because they smell and taste NASTY! They are called lovebugs because you almost always see them flying about in joined pairs. Since they love concentrations of carbon monoxide, they naturally congregate along highways, waiting to be squished!

Having made a trip to watch a night launch about a year ago, I knew the delays that could be caused by the influx of some 10,000 vehicles all vying for a spot to view the launch. Rick and I set out on the two hour trip in plenty of time, but because of road construction and heavier than expected traffic, we barely made it to Titusville in time for the proposed 1:45 pm launch. We arrived after 1:00 and just took what I expected to be a quick but less than optimal location. Fortunately the launch was delayed until 2:01 pm and the viewing spot we chose was just perfect!

This satellite view shows the Kennedy Space Center, the launch pads, the landing strip, and the location from which we observed. At 12 miles, we had a completely unobstructed view, were close enough to get some great photographs, and were able to feel the prolonged subwoofer-like rumbling of the massive launch!

This launch marks the last (planned) time the north launchpad, 39-B, will be used for a shuttle mission. Because of the dangers in the Hubble repair mission, and because Atlantis would be unable to reach the space station in case of emergency, Shuttle Endeavor is on standby on the north pad ready to launch a rescue mission if needed.

We found a parking spot several blocks from water and by the time we had walked to the coast we had only 15 minutes to wait for the launch. By that time many spectators had begun wading out into the water to secure an unencumbered camera view.

Even before the launch, the shuttle launch gantry, 39-A, was clearly visible. Here's an aerial view of the pad and surrounding structures.

The mission patch shows the names of all the shuttle crew and depicts the principle mission, repairing the Hubble space telescope one last time.

Here's a photograph I took of the launch gantry during our visit to the Kennedy Space Center a year ago.

Using the 12X optical zoom on my camera, I was able to get a few very nice shots of the Shuttle Atlantis in flight. Here's the best of them.

Here's a later shot of the shuttle with some of the crowd in the foreground. We chose to remain on the shore just behind them, but there was one guy that waded out carrying thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment. It's a good thing the bottom was sandy and smooth. Shortly after this shot the shuttle disappeared into the clouds.

After the launch, we headed south on 95 then worked our way across the state to a tiny town called Gardener where Rick and I had met decades earlier and camped for a few months. I originally went to Gardener Boatramp because it was a stop for canoeing trips along the Peace River. I drove there to meet my brother and his party. They never showed up, but down on the beach, there was an army blanket with a book titled, "The Cosmic Jest," and I thought, 'I've got to meet the person reading this.' After a short while, Rick came walking up and we met and hit it off. We've been friends ever since.

It was only while preparing this page that I learned a startling fact. Rick and I met on May 12, 1979. So, our visit on May 11, 2009 was literally 30 years to the day! Well... within a few hours. There's a nice symmetry to that and, though it was much lower than normal, a quick dip in the river served as a nice conclusion to our trip.

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