Scrub

How lucky can we be? That's the thought the kept racing through my head yesterday as the anticipation of the evenings events were drawing closer. I had seen it on television and watched with awe in movies and now I was going to get my chance of a lifetime. The Space Shuttle is going to launch tonight and it is only 40 miles down the road. We planned the entire day around this momentous event. We even left the beach early so that we could get ready and drive the 40 miles to pick our site for the launch. We wanted to get as close as possible. I wanted to feel the rumbling, the jarring deep within my chest when this space vehicle took off. If we could feel the heat and get a few hairs singed from the flames it would be a bonus.

We had our plans set and were executing them perfectly. I called ahead to the restaurant to book our reservations for a perfect view of the launch pad across the Indian River from Cape Canaveral. Instead of someone answering the phone a message came on. It informed us that the Space Shuttle launch had been scrubbed. Oh no! This can't be happening. Don't they know that we are in place for this once in a lifetime event? Don't they know that we planned the entire day for this moment. How can it be? What could have possibly have happened to scrub the launch? We found the restaurant, Paul's Smokehouse, and decided to go in and have dinner anyways. While seated at the bar downing our sours and waiting for our table we heard on the news that there was a fuel leak. They wouldn't be able to inspect the bird until Friday and the tentative launch date is set for Sunday evening at 7:43.

We were told the wait was only an hour for our table. After an hour and a half we checked back with the hostess. She said we were next. Another half hour and we finally got seated. When I asked to speak to the manager it took another hour for him to materialize and just hear excuses why their staff was doing such a poor job. Just when we thought the night was lost our friend Janice looked out the window and saw the perfect shot. The full moon had risen over the Cape and cast its light across the water.

So we didn't get to see the rockets red glare but we did witness one of natures nightly launching and its celestial show. We'll have to wait and see if our plans work out for the next attempt but we did learn a valuable lesson. Space Shuttle launches are unpredictable. That's why if you ever get the opportunity to witness a launch it truly is a once in a lifetime shot.