Well I must admit, I don't really know "jack shit" about any of this..but I sure am in awe of all of it. Our space station will pass over Lafayette tomorrow morning about at 6.57 and will be seen for 3 minutes...Will be coming from the northwest and will exit to the South east...I am going to try and be up and out side looking as it goes over...it is the brightest star in the sky these days...
I must relay a story of I guess my link to the interest in the space station and the shuttle that got it all up there....
All happened in Naples Florida several years ago. My wife Linda and I were living on our lot there in Silver Lakes RV park...We had been there maybe 10 years already...not sure does not matter...one day I met a new guy who arrived an purchased a lot next a couple lots down from us...His name was Clive Beasley, his wife was Norma Beasley.
I stopped by and noticed that he owned an America Eagle motor home...they are very expensive....I said what did you do Clive...he said he had worked for many years building the silo's in the western states that housed the intercontinental nuclear missles....he said it was tough work as no one really wanted an missle in their town as it made them an instant target for a Russian missle strike....he said they were not popular in the western towns as they built these silo's...
But for his last year his company Martin Marietta had made him the launch director for that company at the Kennedy Space Center...he was one of 9 people who said go or no go for the launch of each shuttle lift off...His company built the large orange fuel cell that the shuttle sets on and is the fuel source for each launch.
I said gee it's great to meet you Clive and went on home for dinner...
That very night there was a huge double sonic boom over Naples...it shook our fifth wheel RV a lot...we turned on the TV and they acknowledged the large booms and then in about 10 minutes it showed the shuttle landing at the Cape....it told about how the shuttle had come right over Naples at 20,000 feet elevation at over 2000 MPH and in the slowing process had caused these huge sonic booms...
Well my wife Linda and I both were pretty impressed by such an event...I mean it shook our RV real good....The next day I was in the front of the RV doing some work. I heard Linda talking to some man out in the front of the coach...It was Clive Beasley, and she was asking him if he heard the big booms last night? He said yeal, wonder what that was?...Well Linda for the next 5 minutes told old Clive all about it, almost a word or word report we had heard on the news the night before....Clive finally said well that is really interesting and went on home....Linda came around to me later and said hey that new guy is kind of a nice guy, he was really interested in those sonic booms of the shuttle landing...
I laughed and said yeal I bet he was, I met him last night, I think he was putting you on as he was the launch director for Martin Marietta at the Space Center before retiring last month and moving here...
She said no kidding and went immediately over to his coach and knocked on the door...Clive answered and she said Clive why did you let me go on and on about that shuttle landing? He said Linda, I could not help it, I have not seen anyone as excited about the space program as you were, for quite some time, and I just could not shut you down....
It started a friendship that lasted to this day...Clive arranged for us to attend a shuttle launch and set in the VIP seating with the relatives of the astronauts and other VIP's...it was great it was a late evening launch, I have forgotten the date or what mission it was I know I do remember it was the shuttle Discovery, I think but not for sure, will check with Mr. Beasley on that...it was a beautiful launch...Linda took some good pictures....maybe I can find one probably not. I don't think I have them in my pictures...take my word for it it was great...
We went to a second launch a year later on our own via our congressman Steve Buyer...we got the good seats again...as can any one if you plan ahead...however they are about over maybe one or two more then its done....
When Linda died she ask me to hold a memorial service for her at the RV park for the many people she had come to love in Naples...I agreed but was very nervous about it all...about 75 plus people showed up that night including the Beasley's...Clive got up in front when I asked if anyone had anything they would like to say about her...he told the story and they all appreciated it...
Had to share the story with you....
PS...off to the right here is two things that may interest you...One is the times the space station passes over Lafayette Indiana...below that is a link showing how the space station was constructed with each shuttle launch...all good stuff....
Also clicking on the title above will take you to a video of launch day....
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