Shuttle Discovery Launch As Seen At Aerospace Mecca

by Kevin R.C. "Hognose" O'Brien

"It's time for you to return to flight. Our hopes and prayers go with you," the launch conductor said. "See you in a couple weeks."

Shuttle commander Eileen Collins thanked him.  And then the crew resumed a tense countdown, leading inexorably to the spacecraft's successful launch. The calm, businesslike voices of commander Collins and pilot Jim Kelly responded to prompts from launch control, as they worked through the complex checklists of the world's most complicated flying machine.

The tension was due largely to concerns that even a slight glitch that caused a countdown hold would cause the craft to lose its short launch window. But in the end, the shuttle launched routinely.

At AirVenture, exhibitors, attendees and press all became spectators for a while, crowding around computers or television monitors to watch the NASA audiovisual feed.

Only after the solid boosters successfully separated did most people relax and return to their activities, mostly smiling. "Did you see the launch?" A few die-hard buffs hung on to see the craft safely through Max Q (point of highest dynamic pressure, for which the craft is briefly throttled down) or the separation of the external fuel tank, or some other milestone of personal interest.

But after that, even they returned to their tasks. Situation normal.

America is back in space.

FMI: www.nasa.gov