Photo Courtesy of Oliver Hine, launch of STS-129

So one of the things I have always wanted to do is see a Space Shuttle launch, and take photos of a shuttle launch. Well 2010 is slated as the final year for the Shuttle program so I think it is time to start making a trip to watch/shoot the launch happen. I started looking around at the NASA launch schedule a week or two ago and saw that there is/was a launch scheduled for 2/4 (STS-130, Endeavour). I say is/was because of some information I found today, but more on that later.

Natalie and I are going to try to go, and I’ve talked to a few friends lately who have said they would be interested in seeing a launch as well, especially since there are no current launches scheduled past 2010 (also subject to change). So I started putting feelers out to see who might be interested in going, so far I know at least one, Terec, will attend, the rest are sort of up in the air.

So Terec and I started doing research, he’s done most of that so far, looking to see what the best locations are for watching the launch, and of course, where the best locations are for taking photos of the launch. We are both amateur photogs, so we are hoping to get some cool shots, Terec being far more advanced though in his skills. We shot some bald eagles last February in Illinois, and his shots turned out far better than mine.

We’ve got just less than two months until the launch is scheduled, and there is actually a launch of an Atlas V scheduled on 2/3 as well. It would be cool to get to see both launches in the same trip. We realize that the launch can get rescheduled, so when we do go to book a flight we’re going to try to be flexible, likely planning for being in Florida for a week. After doing some reading today it looks like the launch may already be rescheduled to 2/6 or even 2/7. Those dates might actually work out better, being on Saturday/Sunday, but I haven’t seen anything official from NASA yet with those dates mentioned.

We’re still working on finding out the best location to view, and also looking for a place to stay. I’m also keeping track of NASA on twitter. Back in November they held a Tweetup, in which they had 100 twitter users and showed them things for the launch that not many people have been able to see. A friend of mine, Oliver, was able to attend and got some great photos and video. I’m hoping that they do another Tweetup for STS-130 (the launch of Endeavour scheduled for February), though I think they might do a tweetup for the SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) that is scheduled on the Atlas V launch on 2/3.

If I got selected for that tweetup I would definitely try to stick around for the shuttle launch, though if I didn’t get selected I would likely concentrate on the shuttle launch exclusively.

From a photography perspective we have some planning to do as well. I just got a Canon 5d Mark II from my wife this weekend for our Anniversary and as my Xmas present. I'm still using the existing lenses I have from my Canon Rebel XT that I've been shooting with for the past few years. I'm likely going to rent a large lens, 600mm or 800mm for the launch. The launch is scheduled for somewhere before sunrise last I checked, so I'm curious to see how this whole thing turns out. I might need to get there early to do some test shots the day before at the same time of day to make sure I get everything right. I definitely have a lot to learn in my photography skills, I should see about taking a class this spring if I can.

If you are interested in trying to attend the launch as well let me know, it would be cool to have a group of people down there. I believe KSC (Kennedy Space Center) will be putting launch viewing tickets on sale in the next couple of weeks (hopefully not while I am in Amsterdam this weekend). Terec and I are going to try to buy some tickets, though I hear they sell out quickly, so we will see how that goes.