Yesterday I mentioned the launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket (well, 3 rockets together) going up from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We live fairly close and could have seen it from our house, but we wanted to find a spot on the water (Mosquito Lagoon) where we could also see the space center launch pad. That is part of the fun… seeing the plume of smoke when liftoff occurs.
We found a great spot, but then heard that the launch was being delayed until 2:15. We had no cell service so had a hard time getting information.
Because we ended up having a longer wait, we decided to go for a ride and the radio station in the truck gave updates on the launch. While we waited we headed over to the Haulover Canal area and sat in the shade watching the boats go by.
Eventually we heard that 3:45 was the time for launch. Four o’clock was the latest it would go so we had our doubts, but the radio announcers said there was a 90% chance it WOULD lift off.
We headed back to our original spot, where the dirt road was lined with vehicles. Further down is dirt road that curves out along the water where we had clear view of the Space Center and launch pad. Binoculars helped, since we were about ten miles away on the coastline of the Mosquito Lagoon.
The launch was easy to see from our vantage point, but when the two rockets came back to land they were behind the trees (to the right in my photo). In fact I lost track of them and didn’t see them at all. A loud rumble told us they had landed.
My photos are not that great. They were taken with my iPhone. I used my binoculars most of the time to see what was happening up close. That was a good view! We did see a few people with big cameras set up on tripods ready to capture some great photos.
You will find many better photos out there, but I wanted to share my experience.
It was fun, and a beautiful site to see. Glad it went off without a hitch. Now there is a car in space. Don’t know what I am talking about? Go watch this video.
