posted 11-18-2022 04:36 PM
Although I had tickets for five I brought along only three friends for the launch. We encountered very little traffic as we drove from our hotel in Orlando Florida to the KSC. We arrived at the Visitor's Complex at 7:30 PM. Parking was free (although we did need to show our tickets to the attendant) and plentiful. It was a short walk to the entrance where we saw about a thousand people waiting to get in. This was a very small crowd if compared to any professional sporting event. The gates of the visitor's center opened at 8 PM and at first the flow of humanity moved slowly as we all had to pass through metal detectors. But once through we moved quickly as our "Feel the Heat" tickets were scanned and we entered the Visitor's Center proper. Most of the attractions were open such as the retail store and cafe and we spent some time in the Rocket Garden. But not too much time. The buses for the Saturn V Center started to depart at 8:30. As I was in line a man asked if anyone had an extra ticket to the Saturn V Center and so I gave him one of mine. He offered to pay but I wouldn't take any money. He also managed to get a second ticket for his wife.
The bus we boarded was ultra modern and super clean. Flat screen TVs were mounted to the ceiling every four or five seats so every rider had a clear view of a short video introduction to KSC. But I wished that they would turn the media and internal lights off so our eyes could dark adapt and we could get a better view of what was outside.
We drove past the VAB and my friends strained to get a good look as the lady in the video told us it was really big. It would've been better if they dimmed the lights so we could see this for ourselves.
As our journey continued we began to catch glimpses of the Artemis 1 rocket. It was truly a thing of beauty and wonder. The horizon was mostly dark so the rocket, bathed in bright flood lights, was impossible to miss. It glistened and looked magical like something conjured up by a magician. I could imagine it as a spire plucked from a fairy kingdom and transported here.
Soon we arrived at the Saturn V Center. If you've been there yourself you know how amazing it is. The Saturn V's first stage is 33 feet in diameter but if you hadn't told me I'd have guessed it was it was more that 40 feet. It's colossal. All the exhibits were open so there was a seemingly unending number of things to see a do.
Outside we found bleachers, picnic tables, a lush lawn and scattered palm trees. It was a subtropical paradise. I felt as if we were on a resort. The sky was clear, we could see the stars. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. In the distance, across an expanse of water, we could see the rocket, the stuff dreams. Soon the moon rose above Artemis 1 a reminder that that was where this ship was going. The first moon rocket designed to carry men in fifty years.
It was glorious night, as wondrous as any I could remember. My friends and I staked out a round picnic table to serve as our base camp. Not too crowded we had plenty of room to move about. The people around us came from many nations. I heard French, German, Japanese as well as other languages.
The PA system gave brief updates every ten or twelve minutes. I was so glad not to have a running commentary. Nonstop narration would've made conversation difficult and been awful.
But something wasn't right. The countdown was stopped and the launch time set back as NASA attempted to resolve several serious issues. Most worrying was yet another hydrogen leak. The solution was to send mechanics to the rocket to tighten some bolts. This didn't inspire confidence. Also a fifty dollar switch had failed at a downrange tracking station and needed to be replaced. This grand endeavor was threatened by an item that cost less than one hundred dollars.
But most alarming by far was that I noticed large orange flames at the base of the rocket. As it turned out the fire was a controlled burn of excess fuel and my vantage point made it appear much closer to the rocket than it actually was. Even so it had rattled my nerves.
My gut feeling was that the launch wasn't going to happen, not this night anyway. I felt certain that it'd be another scrub. But even so it had been worth the try.
To my surprise the issues were resolved and the count resumed. When it approached zero I saw the main engines light and then bright orange flames erupt from the SRBs. At that moment I knew the rocket was going. The rocket quickly cleared the tower and lit up the entire sky with a weird orange false dawn. Darkness was vanquished. I was told that this was the brightest ever rocket launched and I believe it. I could see the blindingly bright orange and red flame as it climbed skyward. It was like an upside down volcano. The Florida landscape became visible under the eerie red orange light.
Aside from the cheers of the crowd this all happened in absolute silence due to the distance of Artemis 1. Then the sound hit and it was a strange sort of sound. It wasn't painfully loud but it could be seen and felt. I could feel a very pronounced vibration in my rib cage and in the air. I actually felt the sound and I noticed that the canvas awning of picnic tables umbrellas were vibrating wildly. We weren't viewing a launch we were feeling it as well. It was an immersive experience, a whole body experience. I felt I was a part of it. I wasn't just witnessing history I was a part of history.
Artemis 1 climbed higher and faster until it became a tiny pin prick of light and then it disappeared. I felt uplifted and inspired. It had exceeded my expectations and the expectations of my friends.
We left KSC at about 3 AM. Glancing at my watch I was surprised to discover that we'd been there for almost eight hours. The time had flown by. It felt like we had arrived only a few hours ago.
If you have any questions about my experience please ask and I'll answer.
posted 11-15-2022 05:34 AM
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