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FIELD JOURNAL

STS99 - A Spectacular Launch!

By: Brandt Secosh
February 11, 2000

Today was an absolutely perfect day for the launch of STS-99 and the beginning of the 11 day SRTM. STS-99 had experienced delays during the last launch attempt due to a faulty master computer and uncooperative weather conditions. The weather today was probably the best I have ever seen for a launch and all systems were go! I was located at the Banana Creek viewing area, escorting a group of students from Three Oaks Middle school. Many of them had never seen a launch before. The students were also at KSC for another very important reason. They are in the final stages of proposing a payload experiment to NASA! I will write more about that in my next journal; for now lets focus on the launch.

The crowd at Banana Creek appeared to be very confident that everything was going to work out for today's launch. The countdown clock began running again after all of the requirements at the T-9 built in hold were satisfied. This brought a round of applause from the crowd and everyone focused their attention more to wards launch pad 39A.

	The loudspeakers kept the viewers up-to-date on how the countdown was going and then they joined in for the final 10 seconds of the countdown. Endeavor's engines roared to life and began to lift off of the launch pad.
	Once off the pad, the huge fireball of energy began to reflect off of the water. That is one of the great advantages of viewing a launch from the Banana Creek site - the accompanying scenery is great!
	Soon afterwards you could see that Endeavor was beginning to track a specific trajectory by the change in the flight path. Everything was LOOKING good! The sound waves from Endeavor were just beginning to reach us at this point. Soon we would be able to feel the resonance of this spectacular launch!
	Now we had all of the characteristics of a great launch! Sight, sound and the best weather conditions that I have ever seen! Even the Sea Gull in the foreground of this photograph seemed to agree! If you missed any of the events leading up to the launch of STS 99, or the launch itself, please visit the STS-99 Prelaunch, Launch and Landing Movies this site which is maintained by the Kennedy Space Center Payloads Operations Network.

In my next journal I will tell you more about the proposed experiment that Three Oaks Middle School is working on.