Last Thursday we headed to Kennedy Space Center, but it wasn't just for a visit, it was for a rocket launch. We were already in South Florida, so we really couldn't believe how perfect the timing was for us to experience an actual launch. We were able to tour the Visitor Complex for about an hour before we needed to head over to the viewing area at the Saturn V Center.
We asked one of the guides, "If you only had an hour to see anything here at the Visitor Complex, what would you see?". There was no hesitation. "Atlantis. Without a doubt. Atlantis". And so, Atlantis it was! And it was amazing! For Josh and me it was nostalgic, and for Margo and Jude it was historic. I'm not going to lie, for the majority of the presentation and exhibit I had goosebumps. We walked around that shuttle and Jude read every single word of every single sign. He discussed the engines and the designs and the functions of all the parts of the shuttle. And at some points he just stared and thought and soaked it all in. Now don't get me wrong, Margo thoroughly enjoyed it as well. She loved the historical parts of the exhibit and the stories. But for Jude, it was different. It was inspiring.
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Josh snapped a picture of Jude explaining why he felt the engines were designed and positioned the way they were. And he agreed with the design. Mostly.
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I had to drag them out of the exhibit, pretty literally. We were only able to see about half of the exhibit before we needed to be boarding our bus for the launch. There were four times on our way out of the building that I had to physically turn back around to go get Jude from where he got distracted by a diagram, model, sign, etc. After the fourth time, I just held his hand and escorted him out of the building.
We boarded the bus and we made our way over to the Saturn V Center. We grabbed lunch at the café and we walked out to the grassy area facing the launch pad. And then lightning hit pretty nearby. We were all called in doors where we anxiously waited. After about 45 minutes, we were given the okay to head back out to the viewing area. After everyone was seated and ready for the launch, with about 25 minutes until liftoff, another bolt of lightning struck so close that I thought someone flashed their camera right at my face. And then over the intercom, "Ladies and Gentleman, this launch has been SCRUBBED." Well, I had no idea what they meant by scrubbed in this context, but every other use of the term meant something good. The vehicle is scrubbed down. The report is scrubbed and ready to go. But I learned very quick like, that in terms of a rocket launch, the last word you want to hear over the intercom is, "scrubbed"! To say that we were bummed would be an understatement.
We got in line to board the bus back to the Visitor Complex (which was now closed). In line behind us, a girl cried. They were real tears. Tears of sadness. Margo turned to her and said, "We understand. We're sad too." Her mom told us that she wanted to be an astronaut when she grows up and they flew all the way from Maryland to watch this launch. Jude looked at her and said, "I don't want to fly in them. I want to build them for you to fly in." By the time we reached the bus, they had planned out their future in aeronautical engineering and space exploration. As we boarded the bus, we were given a green ticket. And with that green ticket was the chance for another launch for Saturday. On our way to the parking lot, we passed the Rocket Garden. As Jude walked by each rocket, he'd pet the base and pat it as to say, "Good girl. You did your job". And I'm pretty sure that Jude felt deep in his heart that he could build one of those himself soon enough.
For the next few days, while we decided if we'd drive 3 hours round trip again for a possible launch (there was an 80% chance of thunderstorms around launch time), I thought about how Jude's life had revolved around all things related to space or flight. From 18 months old, he knew his planets. At two, he had all his space books memorized and loved to draw the solar system and rockets. He grew to become fascinated with flight. Most objects turned into projectiles. And the past few years, he's become obsessed with paper airplanes and the science of flight. Last year he won second place in the district for his paper airplane flight at the Elementary Science Olympiad and this year placed first in the district for paper rockets.
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| Jude telling Margo all about the order of the planets in our solar system at age 2. |
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| As a toddler, he'd watch space documentaries over and over. |
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We interrupt your regularly scheduled play and nap time to bring you this program on space.
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| After the shower, he had a hard time focusing on getting dressed when he had a solar system that needed to orbit around the sun. |
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| While Margo reads the story of the aircraft, Jude studies the engine. |
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| The paper airplanes recovered during one afternoon of cleaning the house. |
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The Hellcat is his favorite airplane. He'll talk you through every part of her build.
By the time Saturday rolled around, we had made up our minds that we were going to the launch, even if there was a rather large possibility that it would be scrubbed again. On the way to Kennedy Space Center, Jude told us that he wished he had a notepad to take notes and make some diagrams. Well we fixed that with a quick stop at a CVS and $1.47. So equipped with his pad and pen, Jude walked in ready to take notes, draw diagrams and write down his ideas. The Thursday before, we were too rushed to see anything other than part of the Atlantis exhibit, so we were excited that we'd be able to take our time visiting and exploring the attractions (the scrubbed launch actually turned into a blessing). But as much this science-teacher-at-heart loved the exhibits, even more I loved watching Jude take his notes and draw his diagrams and dream. Arrows depicting forces and lines and x's accompanied by his thoughts and explanations filled the little pages of his pocket notebook, which he had already labeled in his not-so-neat handwriting, "Space Records".
It rained off and on throughout the day, and I had my doubts that we'd get to see the launch. And as we loaded the bus to head to the Saturn V Center once again, Jude said that he'd been praying all day that the Falcon 9 would take flight. And well, I don't even know why I even had doubts! We sat in the stands as clouds moved about, but the closer we were to launch time, the better the weather got. With 5 minutes until launch time we watched the vapor roll off the rocket and the live broadcast as we drank our Cokes and ate our M&M's. And we got nervous. Like seriously nervous. It was a type of excitement that I really can't put into words. All four of us were on pins and needles watching those red digital numbers decline.
When we were down to a minute, my heart was beating out of my chest. And Jude's little hand wrapped around my leg. And Margo put down her Coke and M&M's. And then we were down to the countdown with a shouting unison. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...
The tears came. It's hard to express what one feels when they experience a rocket launch for the first time. It was pride and patriotism and my passion for science education and my love for my children. Watching the Falcon 9 take off from the same launch pad that the Apollo missions and Shuttle missions launched from was a most spectacular experience. We watched it ride out of sight and we screamed and cheered and clapped and cried. And then, 8 minutes after taking off for space, the Falcon 9 came right back in for a landing. I still don't quite understand how they do it, but someone had an amazing idea. Someone who wasn't scared to dream up things beyond the times. Someone who thought creatively. And here it was before my very eyes. It is unbelievably amazing that they can send a spacecraft into space, then reenter Earth and go on to land upright on a small concrete pad. Unbelievable!
After the landing, we took some pictures and then made our way to the busses. Heading out, we decided that we needed to buy a Falcon 9 t-shirt for the future astronaut who was so sad about the scrubbed launch and had to fly out before she could see the rescheduled launch. While Josh waited in line to buy the shirt, Jude sat and he wrote.
Josh ended up buying us all t-shirts and Jude continued to write for the next hour. Whatever he wrote, I'm pretty sure that he'll live it out one day if that is what he chooses to do.
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Click to watch the
Falcon 9 Rocket Launch from June 3, 2017. It was the 100th launch from that Launch Complex.
