Cheeseburger_in_paradise Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 I heard the shuttle launch, the other evening. At first I didn't know what it was. I was resting and heard what I thought might be a car playing loud music with the window down. Then I thought, fireworks. I got up and looked outside, and became alarmed. I could see a jagged smokey and fiery trail in the sky and could hear explosions. I though "Oh no, not again." I was in Orlando that morning when Challenger blew up, and remember seeing the jagged trail. And I was in Texas that morning the Columbia fell apart above us. I had nothing to do with either of these disasters, as far as you know. So what if Nixon was in Dallas when Kennedy was shot. So what! Anyhow, I was relieved to find out after running to the TV, that everything was OK. My brother came home a little bit later and said "Did ya see the shuttle go off? Red White and Blue." Yeah. I guess I had never been this close, with the sun having set, with the rockets producing such a spectacular show in the sky high above, where the sun was still shining against the clouds and all.
Wacka Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 Vandenburg AFB in CA launches rockets in polar orbits . It is about 300 miles south of me,but occasionally when the have a launch right after sunset, you see a similar effect. The jet stream gets hold of the upper reaches of the contrail and distorts them. The last one I saw had all of the colors of the rainbow. About 14 years ago, I got to see the shuttle re-enter at about 3 AM local time right over the SF Bay area. That was cool too,
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