Watch the Space Shuttle Launch

“I am still shaking and still awestruck! I just witnessed my first rocket launch and my first space shuttle launch which also happens to be the last night launch for the space shuttle program. It was absolutely the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. When the SRB's lit, night literally turned into day. The shuttle moved silently upward until the sound wave reached -- and hit me -- a couple of seconds later. I could feel the power of the launch from 3 miles away. The crackling and popping was amazingly loud, and the noise endured a very long time. So, so, so absolutely incredible! I wish I could better relate the awesomeness of seeing a shuttle launch! All I can say is that seeing the launch in person is nothing like watching it on TV or on your computer screen.”

“When the countdown dropped to zero, the crowd was on its feet. An instant orange glow erupted from the faraway launch site, and Columbia fairly vaulted into the early morning sky, trailing billowing smoke and flames hundreds of feet in length as it roared its way into orbit. All around me people shouted, cried, screamed and prayed as the spaceship disappeared from view in just two heart-stopping minutes. Along with many others, I wiped tears from my eyes after the launch. We had seen the future, and it worked.”

“We join the launch as the smoke and very bright flames of the solid rocket boosters blast and propel the shuttle upwards, followed very shortly by deafening rumbles. Finally, the vibrations of the lift-off propagate through the ground. This is manifested by the vibrations visibly shaking the camera at the end of the video. I love that you can hear my excitement and that of those around me.”