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After much deliberation, I finally decided to go through with my trip to Florida for the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavor on STS-134. The launch (originally scheduled for yesterday (Well, originally originally scheduled for a number of earlier dates, but we’ll go with yesterday being “originally” for the purposes of this blog.)) ended up being scrubbed until at least Monday, May 2, due to technical issues with auxiliary power units. The APUs are required to run heaters that prevent hydraulic lines from freezing in orbit or upon reentry. If the lines froze, it could mean loss of control (since the hydraulics, in effect, steer the shuttle) or the risk of explosion. We should know in a few hours whether or not another attempt on Monday is feasible, as NASA engineers are investigating as I write this.

The scrub was disappointing for a number of reasons, but I think my travel plans will be flexible enough to allow me to be there for the next attempt. The couple sitting next to me at Kennedy Space Center won’t be so lucky—they are from Nottingham, England, and were on a two week trip based around the earlier April 19 launch date. They flew home today, and won’t be able to make it back for another try. President Obama and his family were also scheduled to see the launch, and while they toured the Kennedy Space Center facility and met with the crew of STS-134, the scrubbed launch was a missed opportunity to inspire the president and demonstrate the value of manned space exploration.

My visit to Kennedy Space Center was my second time there, having visited with my family when we made a trip to Disney World and the surrounding area growing up. I remember the trip from Orlando taking much longer than it did this time, and the rockets of the rocket garden being much bigger, but the awe I felt was not diminished. I felt giddy as I passed by the first car checkpoint and began to cross the causeway to Merritt Island, on which KSC is located. It was great fun to sit in the crowds of people eagerly awaiting the launch, watching NASA TV on the large screens set up, and paying close attention to each update. People cheered when veteran astronauts appeared on screen to take questions from another site, and applauded their efforts when they left.

After hearing that the launch was scrubbed, most of us sat about in disappointment for a few minutes, listening to as many details as NASA were able to provide at the time. People milled about, consoling one another, until the crowds gradually disbursed. I wandered about, taking in some of the various exhibitions on offer. (All of which are excellent, by the way. As a museum and monument to manned space flight, KSC is great. There’s a life-sized shuttle one can walk through, a number of museums, an IMAX theatre, a launch simulator, the rocket garden, and probably more I’m forgetting about now) In the shadow of a Saturn 1B rocket, I sat and ate a sandwich I had brought with me, and then departed for my hotel back in Orlando.

On the way out of Kennedy Space Center, I noticed a number of people were stopping on the causeway to the mainland to look back towards the launch site. It was about 2:30 at this time, and President Obama was scheduled to have arrived about half an hour earlier. I decided to stop as well, taking some pictures of the Vehicle Assembly Building (which apparently had snipers perched upon its roof, due to the President’s visit) and the surrounding landscape. I think I also may have seen Marine One (the presidential helicopter) flying around, but I will forgive the reader for taking that claim with a grain of salt.

What was a forty-five minute drive from Orlando took at least two hours on the way back, as the traffic on westbound FL-50 was bumper-to-bumper for most of the twenty-five or thirty miles. I can only imagine it will be worse on the actual launch day, considering they were expecting 700,000 people to descend upon the Space Coast to watch the launch.

I didn’t end up leaving for KSC quite as early as I had planned (No one is surprised by that, I suppose…), but I think it would have been worth it if I had. The earlier one arrives, the better chance one has of getting a prime seat for the launch, in one of the handful of grassy areas where people set up to watch. Were I attending with a friend or two, I would definitely push for a very early arrival, but by myself, it’s a little more difficult. While many people left their folding chairs to save their seats, most had someone there to watch their belongings. I suppose a folding chair would be worth it, but I’d still need to pack up my camera, iPad, etc., if I needed to relieve myself or get some food.

Finally, I took quite a few pictures with both my iPhone and my Nikon, but those will have to wait until I get back to Johnston, since I don’t have a good way of uploading them here.

As I sit here writing this blog, sitting by the hotel pool in the 90° heat, drinking a cold beer, I am reminded of my third day in Jaipur, India. I spent both days leisurely enjoying the hot weather, not doing much at all except enjoying my own company. This time I’m drinking Bud Light from my cooler, instead of Kingfishers delivered by the staff, and it’s about fifteen or twenty degrees cooler here in Orlando, but it’s been a lovely day all the same.