Going to a Rocket Launch!

A few weeks ago, I applied for a spot in the #NASASocial group for the upcoming rocket launch. This group of 50 space junkies, like the media, will go to places that ordinary visitors to Kennedy Space Center usually don’t see. The NASA Social is an effort to spread information about the SpaceX program through social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and even WordPress. I received an email stating that I had not been selected, but was on the wait list. Imagine my delighted surprise when last night I received another email telling me I was off the wait list and got the spot! I am a total space junkie, and an avid photographer, especially of launches. My husband and I have gone to many shuttle launches, and our son, Ian, has gone to a few, too. We’ve all experienced the letdown of a scrubbed launch (particularly the last night shuttle launch), and trudged through the parking lot, exhausted. Insert sad face here 😦

But, we’ve also experienced the utter thrill and sensations of shuttle launches, with the ground rumbling under your feet, and the sound that suddenly strikes, BOOM! You can feel it in your chest, you can feel it in your entire body, I can say there is no other feeling like it. Each launch left me in awe, in goosebumps, with me clicking my camera – thousands of times – saying “wow wow wow wow wow wow” over and over again. It’s those rare WOW moments that make you exhilarated, excited, and leave you with a perma-grin. Insert happy face here 😀

The album I’m sharing is of the first (and only) Ares rocket launch. This was scrubbed twice before she finally launched. But the three of us made the 5 a.m. check-ins, and when she finally did light up, so did our faces.

Next week, as a NASA Social participant, here’s what I (and the other 49 space junkies) get to do! WOW just WOW!

• view a launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket
• tour NASA facilities at Kennedy Space Center
• speak with representatives from both NASA and SpaceX
• view and take photographs of the SpaceX launch pad
• meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media
• meet members of SpaceX and NASA’s social media teams

Excited to share my photos and experience with you, so stay tuned! We’re in the countdown.

Follow me on Twitter to get more updates! @whatisitpic … I think I’ll probably post more frequently there.