posted 07-04-2011 07:24 AM               

To kick it off, here are two recent articles citing Ben Cooper (cS: Ben) and Francis French (cS: FFrench).

• USA Today, June 27, 2011
  Final launch of Atlantis shuttle is a tough ticket

  ...other prime areas include Titusville (12 miles across the Indian River from the Space Center) and the cruise ship port of Port Canaveral, says NASA photographer Ben Cooper, who publishes an online guide to launch viewing, launchphotography.com.

  "Anywhere else, including the beaches, you won't be able to see the launch pad," says Cooper, who adds that spectators can still feel, if not actually see, the lift-off from Cocoa Beach.

• The San Diego Union-Tribune, July 2, 2011
  San Diegans' enduring memories of the space shuttle

  Francis French, Director of Education at the San Diego Air & Space Museum — "Seeing a shuttle launch, at night or during the day, is very impressive. But driving out to the launch pad the night before a launch is in many ways even more impressive. The shuttle is lit by intensely bright spotlights and the white orbiter and solid rocket boosters gleam against the black Florida sky. Attached to the orange external fuel tank and launch gantry, the shuttle looks ethereal, fragile and very different from the squat appearance it has on the runway. On the pad, ready to go, it looks peaceful and serene, and it is hard to imagine the area will erupt in crackling noise and intense flame just a few hours later."

posted 07-05-2011 05:54 AM               

• Florida Today, July 5, 2011
  Prices of collectibles jump at space shuttles' end

  "I'm getting a lot of calls from people trying to complete their sets" of collectibles from each of the program's 135 shuttle missions, said Ken Havekotte, one of the most prominent local collectors and vendors of space-related collectibles. He owns SpaceCoast Cover Service on Merritt Island, which started out specializing in cachet covers -- the envelope, stamp and postmark combinations commemorating a space mission -- but has since diversified include other space-age memorabilia.

posted 07-05-2011 05:47 PM               

"Shuttle Program Nears End, Final Flight Friday", Local Expert Weighs In...

posted 07-08-2011 07:03 PM               

I did a few interviews today at the press site before and after the launch. I did a live shot for Al Jazeera English on the future of deep space exploration; a taped shot for ITN in Britain; and a interview about collectSPACE and space shuttle collectibles for USA Today (running in the paper next week).

posted 07-13-2011 08:23 PM               

In part, it reads, "since we weren't able to get a shot of you watching the launch it would have been awkward to transition to your home while all other shots were of people watching the liftoff."

She goes on to say, "I am planning to write a similar story about you for our website to coincide with the landing of Atlantis ... I am so sorry we were unable to meet up with you at the shuttle press site as I know our crew was trying to find/reach you." And I was trying to meet up with them as well at the press site's CBS building in locating a certain official. We just kept missing each other.

posted 07-17-2011 11:34 AM               

• Florida Today, July 16, 2011
  Titusville man has pride in his shuttle patches

  "I have been extremely fortunate to have played a small role in the shuttle program," said Gagnon, who isn't paid for his work. "I am very grateful that my work is appreciated by people I admire so much."

posted 07-20-2011 07:16 AM               

• USA Today, July 20, 2011
  Interest in space memorabilia soars as shuttle era ends

  Pearlman started CollectSPACE initially as a programming playground to try different web designs, catalog his own collection and write about space history. In the first month, 30 people visited the site. Now, 250,000 people visit each month to get the skinny on space auctions, discuss their latest acquisitions and read about intricacies of space exploration.

posted 07-20-2011 11:10 AM               

Did any other collectSPACE member noticed the "goof" on the front page? The USA Today snapshot in the bottom left hand corner has a tidbit with astronauts with the most space shuttle flights. They have Mike Foale listed as flying the shuttles as six time, which is false. He flew five times on the shuttles and one time on the Russian Soyuz rocket.

posted 07-20-2011 11:03 PM               

You have provided a wonderful platform for the exchange of ideas, thoughts and opinions on the space program.

posted 07-21-2011 08:30 AM               

I went out and picked up the paper. It was a good article and Robert's closing comments on being careful as someone new entering the community was spot on. Having the community featured in a paper of that magnitude says that “Space” collecting has made it. I feel that it is this site that has made that happen.

posted 07-24-2011 03:04 PM               

Ken Havekotte is also mentioned.