Lights, Camera...Action!

Well, the past several weeks down here have been nothing short of incredible. As the weeks marched on and the cool breezes grew closer, the electricity in the air here began to intensify. In the several TV, radio and print interviews I gave, some of questions I was asked stand out in my mind. Particularly the one that asked, "So, all the media attention down here for the launch is pretty typical, huh?" After scanning the seemingly endless rows of press trailers and satellite dishes that covered the landscape for a few moments I answered, "Well...not exactly...kind of more like the opening of a Hollywood premiere."

The atmosphere down here at the Kennedy Space Center and in the nearby towns such as Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach was definitely ELECTRIC! Signs everywhere read "Godspeed John Glenn" and "Good Luck Discovery." When even the Weather Channel and the Home Shopping Channel pull into town, you know something big is going on. We were about to launch an American legend back into space and write a new chapter in the history books.

The week of the launch I did get the opportunity to experience the "fever" from both sides of the window. For some of the time, I was monitoring the progress of the countdown and experiencing the events from a launch team point of view. Then the rest of the time, I had the chance to experience and participate in the events from the press point of view. For the previous several months I had created and developed a project to bring ( through the Internet ) hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to the Kennedy Space Center to become a part of this historic event. Hundreds of questions from all over the world were sent to me, and I attempted to answer as many as time would allow.

I had a great time sharing my experiences with those who logged on and especially those who I focused on...students at the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse. Interestingly, even though it was a novel, vanguard event, it is rumored that we broke the Internet record for video streams. The previous record was held by the Bill Clinton / Monica Lewinsky Scandal that recorded approximately 18,000 video streams. I am told we are at approximately 31,000 and still counting. We also received about 800,000 hits on the site. Pretty neat! I did get to meet and see a lot of interesting people also. It was a sea of cameras, boom mikes, 4,000 reporters ( about 10 times that of a typical launch ), and celebrities.

It was great to see all the attention focusing on the launch and what we do down here. Nearly every day of the year, often 24 hours a day, we are getting the most amazing spacecraft ever built ready to launch once again. I feel honored to be a part of this awesome adventure. I also am glad to have the opportunity to share this experience with all of you in my hometown and all of you across the world. I hope you enjoyed the mission of Discovery on STS-95, and I invite you to get ready for the next exciting adventure next month. On December 3, the Space Shuttle Endeavour will begin the construction of the International Space Station.
The journey continues....