Cape Canaveral: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

ККириллstriklend · Nov 2, 2009Read

But we were out of luck here too. We arrived in Titusville (a small town 15 km from the launch pad), where a fairly large crowd had already gathered. A thunderstorm was rumbling in the distance, but it was so far away—60-70 km—that you couldn't even hear it. The shuttle, illuminated by spotlights against the backdrop of the night storm, looked especially spectacular. It was 12:30 AM, August 25th. They say this is one of the last shuttle launches in history. The radio is buzzing that all systems are normal, checking the details. And now, 3 minutes to launch, they are about to start the countdown and... NO!!! The launch was scrubbed 2 minutes before T-time because the wind was blowing toward us and they were worried about what might happen... Damn!! Disappointed people shuffled back to their cars... Damn, we've had no luck these past few days. They rescheduled the second launch attempt for tomorrow, but tomorrow we're supposed to be in Myrtle... Yeah, I guess it wasn't meant to be... After a night of driving and a day of work, it turns out that the space mission STS-128 Discovery has been postponed again due to fuel system issues. The next launch is on the 28th at 11:59 PM. That means we need to leave no later than 2:00 PM from Myrtle. We're taking a day off. We spend the whole morning watching weather forecasts and reports on nasa.gov and www.kennedyspacecenter.com. NASA is faster; the center's site info is about 10 minutes behind. That's it, it's noon. We sit in silence. I don't want to kill another 2 days. What if they launch? What if they don't? AHH, what should we do??? Enough! Let's go. On the way, our Marine friend calls and says he just saw two UFOs heading west, so it's definitely going to launch.))) At 11 PM, we're at the local Walmart. We buy binoculars and at 11:25 we're at the observation deck. NASA staff are talking over the radio. Not a cloud in the sky, everything is tip-top so far. The tropical night around us is pitch black, only the launch pad glows like a bright spot in the distance. After checking all systems, all 4 (I think) specialists give the launch a "go." People are standing there with fancy cameras, spending half an hour setting them up. TV crews are right there. Everyone is noticeably nervous. The countdown began. We have the best seats you could imagine. Although the ship is still just a small object on the horizon. I peer through the binoculars, thinking I won't see much anyway. 3... 2... 1... Launch! Suddenly, the binoculars are completely washed out. I can't see anything at all, just a white screen. I lower them and... The whole sky is as bright as day for hundreds of kilometers, as far as the eye can see. The light is so intense that shadows don't even move. The air is trembling from the noise. The ship with 7 crew members on board begins to rise slowly, tearing a huge column of smoke from itself. "5 seconds. All systems ok." At a certain altitude, the color of the flame changes and paints the entire sky blood-red. Now all the clouds are clearly visible. You're rushing, not knowing how best to watch—through binoculars or just like that. "30 seconds. All systems ok." Suddenly, the ship begins to bank sharply and accelerates faster and faster. The jet of fire from the nozzles is 6-8 times longer than the shuttle itself (300-400 meters). I don't think I've ever felt such power. And this small ship, somehow not burning up under such fire, heads into space... "1 minute 20 seconds. Shuttle is 60 miles high. Launch successful." The jet of fire shrinks and the shuttle becomes "just" a second moon in the sky. After a second's pause—applause. (The American way, of course, but it's appropriate here.) Everyone stands frozen for another half minute. We slowly turn around and walk to the car. The radio continues, "3 minutes 40 seconds. Shuttle is above Tasmania." Wow))) Suddenly, the TV crew approaches. They find out where we're from and interview us. Or rather, sort of an interview. I don't know if they aire

ККириллstriklend · Nov 1, 2009Read

Myrtle Beach is the main city in northern South Carolina. It's a kind of local family tourism hub (meaning, for the neighboring states). The city is like a Kinder Surprise, i.e., it also consists of 6 parts at most:) After we found housing—in one day (unfurnished, but with a washer, dishwasher, dryer, huge fridge, internet, etc.—that's where we lived all summer), and went to get our Social Security numbers, 2 weeks passed in unsuccessful, at first fun, then tired, then angry and envious job hunting) By May 20th, Myrtle is already full of our people and Ukrainians, especially the latter, apparently their exams are a bit earlier. When we finally got jobs (which is great, all three of us in one place), and someone even found a second one, the usual routine began. I don't know if it's just us or not, but the days went by one after another, replacing each other so quickly that we didn't even have time to remember them by date. Everyone had days off at different times, so we only gathered together around 12 AM after work, and the next morning someone had to be in by 9... But Myrtle was memorable for: 1) A Vietnam veteran living downstairs who, to escape overwhelming memories, would blast heavy rock at night and mow the grass with a machete he forged himself. 2) Mexican neighbors who didn't understand a word of English but would shout "MMMM, chikkka)))" at the girls. 3) A guy killed in front of our house, 5 minutes after we had walked past that spot. 4) Two night visits from the police, who suspected us (or rather me) of pimping and attempted murder. 5) A careless, friendly "What's up, nigga?))" said to a Black guy. 6) A trip to Columbia (the state capital), when a tire went flat exactly halfway there. 7) Our best friend there, a Marine, who was also: - A sniper with -7 vision, who shot in Iraq ONLY with our Mosin rifle and gave us a '46 cartridge, which we later smuggled across the border, only to find out later that it's up to 15 years in prison for "possession of ammunition." - A Mason. - Had been to jail twice for defending women. - The owner of an awesome Harley. - Knew sign language. - And so on and so forth)) 8) Buying a car, when, while choosing a ride, we stumbled upon a super specimen without any seats except the driver's, splattered with paint inside and out because it was a painter's former car, with wire instead of a handbrake and consuming 1L of gas per kilometer))) It cost $2000, by the way. I still don't understand why I didn't buy it))) And a bunch of other things... However, for the last 2 weeks, we couldn't wait for the first day of our trip to arrive. Moreover, because we had to be in Myrtle on August 30th for a work bonus, we had to split the trip into 2 parts. And on the 25th, we desperately wanted to be at Cape Canaveral, as NASA was launching one of the last shuttles in history))