The oldest of the Space Shuttles launched yesterday at around 5pm. I saw the trail of Discovery's rockets from the backyard. I was hoping to see more (I've seen the shadow of the shuttle and the glow of its engines ahead of the trail both during day and evening launches), but the sky was hazy. There were thick clouds just above the horizon nearby and a layer of stratus further away, so I didn't see the trail till the shuttle cleared the nearby cumulus clouds and soon lost it when it entered the stratus layer. The result? An unimpressive live sighting of the launch. I stared at the dissipating trail feeling robbed by the present weather conditions. It was a beautiful day just the same.
Can't see it, but the trail is there above the puffiest cloud.I did follow the launch on NASA TV. So I caught the countdown live and the takeoff from the launchpad. I saw replays of the flight through the atmosphere into near space orbit. All this really intrigues me. It captures my imagination. The unity of nations gives me hope for the world. This launch was the heaviest load to break from the bonds of gravity. It is because it carrried "a giant Japanese lab addition to the international space station."
Can't see it, but the trail is there above the puffiest cloud.
