Aerial footage of Endeavour's flight over Los Angeles

This is too awesome not to share. Any aviation or space enthusiast should appreciate the unique perspective. One of two F-18s escorting the SCA captured some incredible footage of the Pacific coast, Los Angeles, and LAX prior to landing last week.

It's sad that the Shuttle program is over, but at least NASA has done an incredible job delivering the spacecraft to their new homes!

Watching the Super Guppy land at the USAF Museum

Today was a rather interesting day for those of us in the Dayton, Ohio area. Although the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force was not selected to receive an actual Space Shuttle - still a rather sore subject around here - we were selected to receive another piece of Shuttle history, the Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT). For most of the life of the Shuttle program, the CCT was housed at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Once the trainer was ready for transport it was time to move it to Ohio. It's not a tiny piece of equipment, weighing in at around 11 tons. So that meant it would have to make the trip on a rather unique aircraft - NASA's B-377-SGT Super Guppy.

It's not every day that you get to see airplanes land at the USAF Museum. The museum sits on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's Area B. A closed runway is adjacent to the museum's hangars; it was a hotbed for military flying for years but today is only used for special events and deliveries to the museum. I took a half-day vacation and headed over this afternoon in time to grab a spot as close to the runway as I could.

I caught the very end of the Super Guppy's approach and landing on video

The airplane made one pass overhead and then set up a wide pattern for landing. It crossed low over Harshman Road, located at the end of the runway, and touched town less then 1,000 feet down the 7,000 foot runway. Quite an impressive short-field approach! It was a very cool sight to see and I'm glad I had the chance to witness it in person. Hope you enjoy some of the photos I was able to capture below...

  

Be sure to check out the CCT the next time you visit the museum. It's already on display and the full, permanent display is scheduled for completion later next year! As always, just a reminder that you can access any of my posts about the museum by clicking on the USAF Museum tag in the navigation bar to the right or at the bottom of the posts.

The final Space Shuttle launch - Daily Show style

If you know me, you probably know I'm a die-hard Daily Show fan. Heck, it probably borders on obsessive. But I really appreciate great satire and they deliver it in droves. Anyway, I've waited long and hard for a clip that I felt was right to share on the blog - and they certainly have delivered. Without further adieu, here's John Oliver's brilliant take on the final Shuttle launch.

The Daily Show - Final Countdown

Touring Kennedy Space Center - Part II

As I mentioned in my last post, we spent a day thoroughly enjoying all the sights Kennedy Space Center has to offer. One of the best parts was the panoramic view from the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. From there, you could see multiple launch sites and buildings. Even though we couldn't make it there to see Atlantis on the Mobile Launcher Platform prior to launch, it was still very cool to be so close to Pad 39-A. The massive tracks that the Crawler-Transporter rides on were also a very impressive sight. Hope you enjoy this set of photos!

Arriving at the LC 39 Observation Gantry

Space Shuttle Main Engine

Pad 39-A, where Atlantis lifted off for the final time on July 8, 2011

Pad 39-B, a former Shuttle launch site being converted for future vehicles

Close-up view of the support structure on Pad 39-A

Constructi0n underway on Pad 39-B

Vertical Integration Facility

Launch Complex 41, used for Atlas V launches

Gina on the Observation Gantry with Pad 39-A in the background

Proof that I was there too!

Launch Complex 40, used by SpaceX for Falcon 9 launches

Launch Complex 37, used for Delta IV launches

Solid Motor Assembly Building

Vehicle Assembly Building and the Launch Control Center

Crawler-Transporter parked outside the LC39 Observation Gantry

The 30-year Space Shuttle program has come to an end

I woke up early this morning to watch Atlantis land at Kennedy Space Center. Hard to imagine that the same vehicle that we saw launch off Pad 39-A just 13 days ago has since circled the planet 200 times and returned to the ground in Florida. It's a sad day for space fans and I certainly hope this country continues to explore space and our solar system as we move forward.

This is an awesome video that captures every Shuttle mission - all 135 of them - and a little bit of why this program has been such an important part of American scientific history.

Touring Kennedy Space Center - Part I

As if viewing a Space Shuttle launch in person wasn't awesome enough, launch tickets also include a second day's admission into Kennedy Space Center. Gina and I relaxed on Saturday and Sunday, visiting her great aunt and uncle, a winery, and getting some much-needed rest to recover from the all-nighter that preceded the launch. I figured the crowds would have calmed down plenty after a couple days, so we headed back out to Cape Canaveral on Monday to visit KSC.

NASA's massive Vehicle Assembly Building

Each stripe on the flag is as wide as a standard freeway lane

When built, this was the largest building in the world by volume

If you appreciate the history of our space program, it's hard not to be fascinated by most everything KSC has to offer. We arrived around lunchtime and hopped on a tour bus (a free tour is part of admission) to the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. I'm actually going to include those photos next time; I took so many that I think it's best to break this into two posts. We then hopped back on the bus and spent a couple hours in the Apollo / Saturn V Center. They have an actual Saturn V mounted horizontally inside - honestly, I shouldn't have to say anything more than that. It's awesome.

I will elaborate slightly to remind you that - 44 years after it first flew - the Saturn V is still the tallest, heaviest, most powerful rocket ever launched by mankind. I've seen plenty of missiles and rockets in person before (many in the Missile & Space Gallery at the USAF Museum) but nothing compares to a Saturn V. It's just an incredible piece of engineering and machinery. I was also excited to see the other Apollo-era vehicles including a real Lunar Module and a Command/Service Module. The whole race to the moon is just fascinating to me and I never tire of seeing the remnants and reading up on the history.

Entering the Apollo / Saturn V Center

The actual launch control room from the Apollo era

The Saturn V is, quite simply, a massive thing of beauty

Patches from all the Apollo missions hang next to the Saturn V

First Stage

Second Stage

Third Stage

Command Module and Launch Escape System

Apollo Command/Service Module

Apollo Command/Service Module

Apollo Lunar Module

Lunar Module simulator

The infamous Astrovan

Vehicle Assembly Building as seen from the Apollo / Saturn V Center

Launch Pad 39-A as seen from the Apollo / Saturn V Center

We spent a couple more hours back on the main grounds of KSC after returning from the bus tour. Gina and I went on the Shuttle Launch Experience, a ride that simulates a Shuttle launch. To be perfectly honest, it was kind of underwhelming. Basically, you're strapped in, the thing rotates so you're sitting vertically, and then it vibrates like crazy for about two minutes. It was neat and all, but let's just say I'm glad it was included in the price of admission. They also have a full-size mockup of a Shuttle that we walked through; the payload bay was bigger than I would have expected.

The Constellation Sphere, 9 tons of granite suspended by water

Part of the new Orion vehicle that's still in development

The building that houses the Shuttle Launch Experience

Inside the Shuttle Launch Experience briefing room

Explorer, a full-size Shuttle mockup

Payload bay of the Explorer mockup

It was a good place to hide from the rain!

Space Mirror Memorial

Thousands of signatures and messages wishing Atlantis' crew good luck

Inside the Astronaut Hall of Fame

Memorial for the Challenger and Columbia crews at the Astronaut HoF

After a fun day at the Space Center, we finished up with about an hour at the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Had I known just how much was inside, I would have absolutely scheduled more time there. They had so many neat items that have flown in space or were part of the space program and everything in there was extremely interesting to read about. Come to find out they even have a centrifuge that you can get a ride in! Not that I probably would've jumped at that opportunity, but still... you don't find those available to the general public very often - if ever!