The Obsessive Photographer

Wow. I feel like I’ve got a strange attachment to NASA Shuttle Mission STS-128. I’ve seen it on the launch pad during the scrubbed launch on August 25th [link to post]. I saw the launch from my house in Tampa on August 29th [link to post]. And tonight I saw Discovery, docked with the International Space Station, fly over our house just after dark.

Space Shuttle Discovery, STS 128 Docked with ISS by Damgaard Photography

We almost missed the flyover thanks to fast moving clouds.  It was 70 degrees up from the horizon, traveling Southwest to Northeast.  We got a short glimpse of it as it streaked by a hole in the clouds.  I can’t believe I got it…made a quick adjustment to my tripod and got the shot.  It was really pure luck, but I’ll take it.

I’d like to run over and catch it land when it comes back to Kennedy, that would bring the whole thing  full circle.  We’ll see!

Beautiful night for a launch, perfect atmospheric conditions! This shot was taken from Tampa.  (Check out these spectacular lightning shots at the launch pad when it was scrubbed earlier this week click here )

Discovery, STS 128 Launch

View from "Space View Park", Titusville, Florida

Living in Florida has its benefits.  Beaches, resorts, theme parks around every corner… that’s the first thing that comes to mind when people think of The Sunshine State.  All of these things are great, but one of my favorites is the space program at Kennedy Space Center.  Space Shuttle and rocket launches that take off from K.S.C. are visible from a large portion of the state, weather permitting.

Space Shuttle Discovery STS-124 as seen from my Tampa home

I remember when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on launch in 1986.  It’s one of those events everyone remembers what they were doing when it happened.

I was in my junior high library in Casper, Wyoming, working on a computer the size of a Volkswagen.  The principal ran in and pulled one of the media center’s TV’s out and turned it on.  I stood there with the principal and librarian and watched in awe.

My wife grew up in Tampa and was outside with her class to watch the launch (back when launches were still an event to mark your calendar for).  She saw Challenger explode first hand, very similarly to the way the photo from Tampa above looks.  I can’t even imagine that.  She can still visualize it 23 years later.

I live in Florida now and shuttle launches are perfectly centered out the back door of my house.  It’s a photographer’s dream, I never get tired of watching that craft shooting through the sky until it’s just a glimmering speck…and then gone.  I enjoy it every time but have never seen a launch close up.

Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-126 night launch from my home.

When my parents (who live in Lakeland) called and asked if I wanted to go over for the launch last night I thought they had lost their mind.  The launch was scheduled for a 1:36 AM lift off and there was an 80% chance of favorable conditions.  I wouldn’t get back home until at least 3:30AM…if I was lucky.  I declined, and hung up the phone.  Almost instantly I began to regret the decision.  I started thinking about all the times I was sitting behind my laptop, tirelessly processing photos until all hours of the night.  I started thinking about the opportunity to see a night launch, more importantly the opportunity to photograph a night launch.  It didn’t take long before I was calling them back to make plans.

So the craziness took hold, I decided it would be a great idea to take the whole family and have a spontaneous adventure.  Kim, a Florida native, had never seen a launch close-up either. I convinced her our 7 year-old son would benefit from the educational experience despite the late hour and school the next day, he could sleep in the car.  The decision was made and we piled into the car at 9:30 heading for “Space View Park” in Titusville (reported to be the best viewing site unless you’ve got a NASA pass) [link].

It’s a short 2 hour drive from our house, Northeast across the peninsula.  It became immediately clear there may be a problem as we got close to Orlando. Huge thunderheads were visible to the East, flashing an impressive lightning show.  Kim was certain the launch would be scrubbed due to weather, which I immediately dismissed.  This baby was launching, even if I had to light a match under it.

We kept checking the status as we continued East.  The weather official reported “Green Conditions” for launch as we neared the Brevard County line.  I shot Kim a smirk, I was right as usual.  She scoffed, telling me she’d seen them scrub a launch for storm cells half the size of what we were watching on the radar.  Looking back I believe I heard her say the words the words “there’s no way”…but I think she was talking about something else (at least that’s my story).

So we get to Space View park in Titusville and meet up with my parents who were kind enough to find and hold us a spot.  As soon as I looked off to the East I was happy.  Not only were the launch pad lights beaming spectacularly into the massive thunderheads directly above the Cape, but there was amazing lightning bolts firing one right after another.  I was mezmerized.

I was fumbling with my gear like a freshman boy with his prom date.  With every click, every twist, every setting adjustment the lightning was flashing away.  I knew as soon as I was ready the lightning would stop (I’m a little addicted to lightning as my last post [link] ironically describes).  I was wrong.

Cloud top lightning illuminates thunderheads over Cape Canaveral with Discovery on the pad

Kim sat with my parents and my son raced in between them and my shooting location, checking on my shots.  Time melted away from me as I captured cloud top lightning illuminating the boiling thunderheads with the fan of the pad lights forcing their way into the sky.  All of these shots were just the test  for the ultimate goal, the launch.

I barely heard the announcement over the loudspeakers saying every weather indicator had gone to RED / NO GO.  Visibility, lightning proximity, cumulonimbus proximity, 25 mile rain presence…all RED.  Things weren’t good.  The shuttle was temporarily masked by heavy rain falling  I immediately waited for the visit from Kim.  You know the one, the “I told you so” visit us guys love so much.

Things looked up for a while as the storm began to dissipate over the next 30 minutes, the crowd cheered and clapped with every guarded announcement indicating improved conditions.  The excitement was short lived however, the announcement came shortly thereafter that the launch had been scrubbed.  You could almost feel the crowd deflate as everyone packed up and wandered back to their cars.

My “I told you so” speech was mercifully short.  I think she was happy I enjoyed myself and didn’t want to take away from it (she’s OK some time, I guess I’ll keep her).  We packed up and drove back to Tampa, a little bummed out but still appreciating the adventure.  During the drive we both agreed we would do it again for one of the upcoming launches before the end of the year.

So we’ll see a launch soon, and have photos to show for it with any luck.  Now I have to rectify the fact that even though I’ve lived here for 15 years I’ve never been to the Florida Keys…but that’s a whole different story

The cloud ceiling drops just before the rain falls on Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128