I was living in Cape Canaveral when this event happened. Saw almost every shuttle launch in person during the program. This launch was one of three I missed live as I was in Augusta GA visiting my sister at the time. I did however get to watch it on TV.

In Jan 1987 I was walking the beach in Cape Canaveral and found debri from Challenger that washed up on the beach. I notified NASA of what I found and thinking they would like it back. They got back to me saying they didn't need it and I could keep the piece but it would be unlawful to sell it. I still have it.

https://dl3.pushbulletusercontent.com/wapylI6LNuOZgx2w19An1vMZcnBrNrIj/PXL_20231002_192419216.MP.jpg

I was watching a discovery show….I think their newer Bermuda Triangle show, and they found a HUGE piece of the shuttle recently.

I lived in Cape Canaveral during the shuttle years and saw all but 5 launches in person. My two other sisters and I happened to be in Augusta, GA visiting my third sister that day. As we were getting ready to leave, I remembered the launch was just minutes away and decided to watch it on TV before we left.

When it exploded, I didn't understand at first that the shuttle exploded. My first thought was that it sure looked different on TV. Then it sunk in what was really happening. I couldn't believe what was happening.

It was time to leave and go back home. We got into the car and I drove for about 10 minutes thinking about what I just saw. Then it hit me. I had to pull over and cried until I was able to proceed.

Seven months later, people were finding small pieces of debris washing up on the shores of Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.

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Live Port Canaveral Cam

https://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com/

Don't expect much action but you can check on the progress of moving this giant rocket with a giant crawler. Much like how the Space Shuttle was transported to the launch site.

Your video, Cowboy Bebop - Space Shuttle, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Shuttle Columbia breaking up during reentry

I lived in Cape Canaveral during the shuttle program and have witnessed all but 5 launches live, once from within the 5 mile zone. The sound at that distance is very loud but, also different compared to a 15 mile distance away. The sound is very sharp and "cracks" unmuffled by air until it gets further away. You can feel the sound waves in your body. It is pretty emotional, even if you've been waiting for hours for liftoff and then the launch gets scrubbed.

I was in Georgia when Challenger exploded. I watched it live on TV and for a short while I couldn't understand why the launch looked so different on TV. It really took a few a seconds to realize what was happening. I cried that day.

From the YT description:
Launch to orbit in real time Fuel Burn and Staging of the
1) Saturn V
2) Space Shuttle
3) Falcon Heavy
4) Space Launch System (SLS)
Launching from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39

Red = Kerosene RP-1
Orange = Liquid Hydrogen LH2
Blue = Liquid Oxygen LOX

Living in Cape Canaveral during the space shuttle era I was able to see all but 5 shuttle launches. Night launches were the best.

This video is about 10 miles from the launch pad. When you get to the 5 mile area to watch, the sound is much sharper and near impossible to experience without ear protection.

You built a space shuttle?




...out of a DeLorean?

Come on NASA,

The shuttle and now the Orion spacecraft have been and are designed by congressmen and women for make work projects in their states.

The shuttle, although a marvel of engineering, was a death trap due to putting the most venerable structures down the stack.

ISS is a fantastic endeavour, but its low earth orbit and NASA has been struggling with a new direction for decades. The moon... no wait... asteroids... no wait... Mars... hold on... the moon.

Just PICK ONE, at least DOUBLE the funding to NASA and make whatever new project a national initiative. The American space industry can do unbelievable things when the proper foresight is put is place backed by money. (hay, maybe take some out of the military complex?!).

We will see if the Moon remains a target for NASA, maybe that will change when your current "leader" is removed... I am mean voted out of his "office".

A big part of the Zero's reputation came from racking up kills in China against a lot of second-rate planes with poorly-trained pilots. After all, there was a reason that the Republic of China hired the American Volunteer Group to help out during the Second Sino-Japanese War – Chinese pilots had a hard time cutting it.

The Wildcat was deficient in many ways versus the Zero, but it still had superior firepower via ammo loadout. The Zero carried very few 20mm rounds, most of it's ammo was 7.7mm. There are records of Japanese pilots unloading all their 7.7mm ammo on a Wildcat and it was still flyable. On the flip side, the Wildcat had an ample supply of .50 cal.

Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa was able to score seven kills against Japanese planes in one day with a Wildcat.

Yes, the discovery of the Akutan Zero helped the United States beat this plane. But MilitaryFactory.com notes that the Hellcat's first flight was on June 26, 1942 – three weeks after the raid on Dutch Harbor that lead to the fateful crash-landing of the Mitsubishi A6M flown by Tadayoshi Koga.

Marine Captain Kenneth Walsh described how he knew to roll to the right at high speed to lose a Zero on his tail. Walsh would end World War II with 17 kills. The Zero also had trouble in dives, thanks to a bad carburetor.

We were behind in technology for many reasons, but once the Hellcat started replacing the Wildcat, the Japanese Air Superiority was over. Even if they had maintained a lead in technology, as Russia showed in WW2, quantity has a quality all of it's own. We were always going to be able to field more pilots and planes than Japan would be able to.

As far as Soviet rockets, once we were stunned by the launch of Sputnik, we kicked into high gear. You can say what you will of reliability, consistency, and dependability, but exactly how many manned Soviet missions landed on the moon and returned? Other than Buran, which was almost a copy of our Space Shuttle, how many shuttles did the USSR field?

The Soviets did build some things that were very sophisticated and were, for a while, better than what we could field. The Mig-31 is a great example. We briefly lagged behind but have a much superior air capability now. The only advantages the Mig and Sukhoi have is speed, they can fire all their missiles and flee. If they are engaged however, they will lose if pilots are equally skilled.

As @newtboy has said, I am sure that Russia and China are working on military advancements, but the technology simply doesn't exist to make a Hypersonic missile possible at this point.

China is fielding a man portable rifle that can inflict pain, not kill, and there is no hard evidence that it works.

There is no proof that the Chinese have figured out the technology for an operational rail gun on land, let alone the sea. We also have created successful railguns, the problem is POWERING them repeatedly, especially onboard a ship. If they figured out a power source that will pull it off, then it is possible, but there is no concrete proof other than a photo of a weapon attached to a ship. Our experts are guessing they might have it functional by 2025, might...

China has shown that long range QEEC is possible. It has been around but they created the first one capable of doing it from space. The problem is, they had to jury rig it. Photons, or light, can only go through about 100 kilometers of optic fiber before getting too dim to reliably carry data. As a result, the signal needs to be relayed by a node, which decrypts and re-encrypts the data before passing it on. This process makes the nodes susceptible to hacking. There are 32 of these nodes for the Beijing-Shanghai quantum link alone.

The main issue with warfare today is that it really doesn't matter unless the battle is between one of the big 3. Which means that ANY action could provoke Nuclear conflict. Is Russia going to hypersonic missile one of our carriers without Nukes become an option on the table as a retaliation? Is China going to railgun a ship and risk nuclear war?

Hell no, no more than we would expect to blow up some major Russian or Chinese piece of military hardware without severe escalation! Which means we can create all the technological terrors we like, because we WON'T use them unless they somehow provide us a defense against nuclear annihilation.

So just like China and Russia steal stuff from us to build military hardware to counter ours, if they create something that is significantly better, we will began trying to duplicate it. The only thing which would screw this system to hell is if one of us actually did begin developing a successful counter measure to nukes. If that happens, both of the other nations are quite likely to threaten IMMEDIATE thermonuclear war to prevent that country from developing enough of the counter measures to break the tie.

https://www.acuarmy.com/products/space-shuttle-door-gunner-patch-acu

Before the space shuttle would launch, the main engine would ignite first. After six seconds the two solid rocket boosters would ignite and the shuttle would launch.

The six second delay was necessary because the main engine ignition would rock the "stack" or the entire assembly of the shuttle, fuel tank and boosters forward. It took 6 seconds for the stack to return to the upright position.

This 6 second period of sway was referred to as "twang."

Figured I'd pass that little bit of info on to you in case you're ever asked about twang on a radio quiz show.

I lived in Cape Canaveral for 35 years. I watched all but 5 shuttle launches and many Delta, Atlas and other rockets. Each unique in it's own way. This launch was spectacular in that the lighting helped illuminate the plume in a way that normally is unseen in a bright sky or total darkness.

Another cool effect when conditions are right during a launch is when a rocket breaks the sound barrier while penetrating thin clouds. It creates what's known as a Sun Dog. The shock wave creates a ripple effect that resembles ripples going across the surface of water. The effect at night can be illuminated by the rocket's bright plume rather than the sun.