Well, after the launch was scrubbed on Saturday, it was looking very favorable for Sunday, so Brilly and I finally made the drive out to the Cape to hopefully see it go up from the Press Mound. First there was the adventure of getting on property and getting our Media Credentials...we were stopped at the first checkpoint and of course got Mr. Overzealous Security Guard, who asked to see proof of what media outlet we worked for. So I showed him my Golf Channel badge, to which he replied "what does the Golf Channel have to do with a shuttle launch?" To which I replied "uh, ever heard of Alan Shepherd hitting a golf ball on the moon?" (and added the word "IDIOT!" in my mind). He was laughing but still looking skeptical, and I got a little nervous. But I was also a little irritated because who was he to question WHY we got credentials...he wasn't in charge of handing them out and the bottom line was that we HAD credentials...we just had to go pick them up. I was just wondering if I'd have to take off my hat and play the Cancer Card when he finally waved us on. Phew! Checkpoint One - passed. Every security person we encountered after him was MUCH nicer and easier. We were directed to the Badging Office, took a wrong turn, went back and finally found it. (There are few things that irritate me more than Bad Signage, and NASA might possibly take the prize for Worst Signage Ever...those astronauts are lucky they get driven out to the launch pad by someone else, as they'd probably get lost if they tried to get out there themselves).
So we go into the Badging Office, give them out information...and are told nothing is coming up in the system. Ruh-Roh. But the woman quickly realized that we were in the wrong office...there is a separate office for MEDIA credentials. So she gave us a map and we got back into the car and drove a circuitous route to a very shabby, nondescript, one-story building that was just a step up from a trailer. Ah, yes...that seemed about right for media. Went in there and met the two nicest people we'd met that whole day. They were helpful and funny and gave us our media badges without any problems. (BTW, the guy who got us the credentials works for NBC, which is why our badges say "NBC News").
However, we weren't at the Press Mound yet, and I was still nervous that someone would stop us, see at once we didn't belong there, and boot our butts off of NASA property. Armed with an outdated (as we discovered) map from the Media Badging Office, we set out to get to the Press Mound. It seemed simple... However, the Kings of Bad Signage didn't have any signs that said "Press Mound This Way" and half of their streets had no street signs, so we ended up guessing where to turn...I still had fears of taking a wrong turn, coming face-to-face with the shuttle launch pad and having to screech away as guards with big guns came chasing after us.
We guessed right, but still ended up at the checkpoint to the launch pad and having to ask the nice men (with machine guns) where the heck we were supposed to park. They were very nice and kindly showed us the way. AT LAST - we found the Press Parking Lot and then the NBC Compound, where our media contact (nicknamed Dan-Dan The Spaceman by Brilly) met us, gave us a tour of the grounds, the media briefing room, the media center, and, most importantly, where the bathrooms were. Then we were pretty much on our own, so we wandered around, took some great, fun pictures, and just soaked in the coolness of being there. One of the neatest things was the giant countdown clock...we have seen it millions of times, especially on the NASA channel, and when we have seen random people walking by it or standing by it, we have wondered "who is that person and why is he just standing there?" Well, the answer is that "that person" was someone with access to the Press Mound, becuz the clock is right there on the grass across the water from the launch pad, and now WE were "that person" as we could walk right up to the clock if we wanted. SO cool to be right there!
Unfortunately, the day did not have a happy ending, as weather moved in very close to launch time, and would have interfered with the "return to launch pad" window, so it was officially scrubbed about 10 minutes before it would have launched (even though we knew for about an hour this was probably going to happen). We were bummed, but we are planning on going back out tonight if it goes (right now, not looking favorable because of weather)...having been out there now and been SO close to seeing it, we now want to see it through, even if it means more driving back and forth. It's only about 60 miles out there, so in regular traffic takes maybe an hour. Coming back in the dreaded "shuttle watchers' traffic" wasn't as bad as we had feared...there were some slowdowns at merge points but we never really came to a standstill and much of it was regular speed driving, so we made it back in about an hour 40 mins.
I will keep you posted as conditions warrant. Fingers crossed that we get to see this sucker lift off from our privileged perch on the Press Mound!!
