• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Events
  • Impact
  • Apply
  • Member Login
  • Home
  • About
  • Events
  • Impact
  • Apply
  • Member Login

Maverick1000

Growth, Impact, Happiness

Archives

  • February 2020
  • December 2016
  • August 2016
  • February 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • January 2015
  • October 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • April 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • July 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
You are here: Home / Event Recaps / Launch Sequence Go!

Launch Sequence Go!

May 28, 2011 by Yanik

by William Lee, Maverick1000 Member #100

After getting back from UG7 and speaking to M1000 Member #128 Ben Roy, who had just watched the prior launch, I made an effort to see Shuttle Endeavor’s launch. After being advised that there were only two more launches left, I made it a priority.

I even enrolled M1000 Member #61 Mike Cline and his friend Angela Melito to go. Angela works at NASA and went through lengths to get us all causeway passes — possibly the closes civilians get to see the launch, without actually being a NASA employee or having a press pass.

Watching the NASA launch required a quite a bit of planning logistics:

The first launch was canned and rescheduled two weeks later, which coincidentally worked for me at the time. Then on April 29th, as we sat on the causeway awaiting the launch, an announcement came over the speakers just two hours shy saying there was something wrong with the APU (auxiliary power unit, or something similar). Bummer.

I had a few days to spend in Orlando, so Mike Cline took me out to the Pre-Burning Man event. We partied it up and had a great time… the best part being getting to see my friends drunk. That’s when you get to really know a friend. 😉

We found a Lucky Charms hat and Mike instantly becomes "Magically Delicious!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the flight back home, I met an Irish guy who overheard my conversation with the passenger next to me, and told me how it is his lifelong dream to watch a shuttle launch. The man was in his 50s; and he’d travelled all the way to Florida to watch the launch and was terribly disappointed to go home without having witnessed it. My heart goes out to him.

After I got back to NYC, NASA made a series of announcements about when they are looking to launch. When they nailed the May 20th date, I was ecstatic — coincidentally, I was already booked for Orlando that week.

Because Angela has the causeway pass and employee badge, she had to be present for us to go. When the time came, her flight was delayed, and she flew in at 1:30AM the morning of the launch. I stayed up to pick her up, and we both grabbed about an hour sleep and then set out for the one-hour drive to Coco Beach, where we consolidated vehicles with some of her friends, and headed for the NASA causeway. By comparison to the last scrubbed launch, there were about half as many people I expected. We grabbed a great spot and waited.
It was cold, and neither Angela or I had planned for it to be this cold. Yet things got really neat when we were also then treated to a beautiful sunrise.


When countdown commenced, I positioned my D-SLR HD video at the ready; and when the shuttle launched, it was rad-hot! There are few things, if anything, that man has invented to be more powerful than these rockets. We estimated to be viewing from about 2-3 miles away from the launchpad — with a clear line of sight — and it took about 5-10 seconds before we were able to hear the roar of the rockets at launch. Amazing!

The rumble as the shuttle cleared the skies and reached for the stars simply leaves you humbled and moved. There was some serious power being witnessed, and I was expecting my body to shake with the rumbles from the rockets. I felt a little rumbling, and thought perhaps it was more of a technological design feature than it was for personal expectations. I am so lucky to be able to see this.

Note: I nabbed this photo online; I didn’t take this shot.
People I wish to thank include: Maverick friend Adam Summers, for being a great host in driving me to the Amtrak the night before my flight when I was in Maryland. M1000 Member #128 Ben Roy for sharing his experience of his shuttle launch with me, M1000 Member #61 Mike Cline for being a really great host with the NASA and Pre-Burning Man tickets; and super-chick Angela Melito for making the NASA Causeway happen. What a great trip!

— Will Lee, Maverick1000 Member #100

Filed Under: Event Recaps, Member Spotlight Tagged With: NASA, shuttle, shuttle launch, will lee

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Maverick Year in Review and IMPACT Report 2019
  • Yanik’s December 2016 Maverick Musings
  • Yanik’s July 2016 Maverick Musings
  • March 2016 IMPACT Update
  • 3X Retreat: San Diego Video and Photos

Categories

  • Cool Tips & Tricks
  • Event Recaps
  • Exclusive Invites
  • From Andrew…
  • From Yanik…
  • M1000 Meet-Ups
  • Maverick IMPACT
  • Maverick Milestones
  • Maverick Perks & Benefits
  • Member Spotlight
  • NEW Member Bios
  • News

Tags

2013 Adam Summers andrew Anil Gupta Awareness benefits bobby macdonald Caring House Foundation dangerous dinner Digital Talent Agents doug doebler Dreams For Kids frank mckinney Greatness haiti jamaica Jim Spano Jonathan Pototschnik Kenneth Stracuzzi kim jacobson M3 Summit Manbake LLC Matthew Gordon Maverick Haiti Trip Maverick IMPACT Maverick member referral contest maverick Startups multiplier National Federation of the Blind necker island new york Opportunity Village raul villacis Richard Branson Singularity University Steve Young Swaziland Relief Telnyx UG7 USA Today William Lee will lee Yanik Yanik Silver young entrepreneurs

READY TO MULTIPLY YOUR
BUSINESS, LIFE AND IMPACT?

APPLY NOW

Maverick DNA

M - I am a Multiplier

A - I am Abundance Minded

V - I am a Visionary

E - I am Extraordinary

R - I Re-imagine, Re-invent and Re-Create

I - I am Impactful

C - I am a Connector, Catalyst and Co-Creator

K - Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

CONNECT

contact@maverickdna.com

240-744-0165

DISCLAIMER

10319 Westlake Drive #182 Bethesda, MD 20817 240-744-0165 Fax 240-238-9862
Copyright . All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.

Designed By

Copyright © 2023 · Maverick1000 on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

START YOUR APPLICATION




Or if you have a special invite code? Enter it here: