NASA Tweetup v2.0

I am writing this from seat 3C on DL 1262 as I return from the latest NASA Tweetup event. For those that may or may not recall, I was a member of the STS-133 Tweetup as well as this one. Why did I get two chance? Because of launch delays for STS-133 I didn’t get to see the actual launch. Last Monday I was contacted by Stephanie S. who asked me if I could get down to KSC for Friday because (1) I already had been cleared through security and (2) I didn’t get to see a launch. It took about 45 minutes for me to rearrange my life for Thursday and Friday and off I went. (This is where I remind my wife (blog | @femmefoto) just how much I love her and thank her for supporting my incredible rocket fetish, thanks!)

Thursday was another amazing tour of KSC for me. I didn’t get into the VAB before, so that was a new (and wonderful) experience. I went to the Saturn-V facility again and also got to see the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). So, yeah…it was a pretty good Thursday for me. But I think the best part was watching Seth Green (blog | @sethgreen). You could just tell how excited he was to be at KSC. I watched him walking into the VAB, ten paces ahead of everyone else, because he was so frakkin’ excited to get in there. It just made me feel good, to see someone else as excited as me to just be there, walking around like an awestruck child seeing a cotton candy machine for the first time. I was concerned about driving in from Orlando in the morning and was able to find space in Cocoa Beach on the couch at Venus House thanks to my Canadian friend Karen Lopez (blog | @datachick).

Friday was a great day as well. I arrived about 8AM, found a spot in the twent, and started getting ready for the day. Around 9 we did the group photo and then we had a few people come into the twent to talk with us until lunch at 11AM. I walked around a bit during lunch, taking in all the sights and sounds which made me recall the 2006 NYC marathon, where we had helicopters (sans snipers), lots of media, and herds of people moving together. The only difference between the two events? One was that the marathon had a loudspeaker with a woman’s voice giving instructions in different languages, the other was the clothes that people strip off and leave behind on their way to the start line. We didn’t have the loudspeaker instructions (although I *did* get the weather alert the night before being announced) and I don’t recall people taking off their clothes (except for the Astronauts, I believe they did have a wardrobe change or two).

I hung around, introduced myself to Seth (and thanked him for all the many laughs he has given me these many years), Abraham Benrubi (@jambondeluxe, and I told him I remembered Parker Lewis Can’t Lose), and Levar Burton (blog | @levarburton) and then all the NASA Tweeps walked over to wave to the astronauts as they were getting ready to drive out to the launch pad.

And then something funny happened on the way to the launch pad…

Instead of the van driving straight past us, it took a left and stopped at a building across the street. I thought this was normal (since I had never seen a launch before, right?) and after a minute or two the van started back towards us. I thought this was it and then someone behind me said “OK, if they turn right then it is a scrub, if they turn left, we are a go.” I thought that was crazy! Imagine that we were still in a go/no go situation at this point?

The van turned right (to our left, we were across the street), and the other vehicles also turned around and escorted the astronauts (can I just call them Superheros?) back to their quarters. A security guard barked at us that the launch was delayed at least 48 hours (how did he know?), the deputy director of NASA was with us and said she wasn’t sure yet about the status, Stephanie promised to find out all she could as quickly as she could. It was a lot to soak up in just a few minutes. We milled about for a bit, understood that the day was over, and then went about figuring out what to do next. Some of us were going to meet President Obama but most of us were just going to head back to the twent and ultimately head home.

I had a ticket to return today (right now, actually) and was on the fence. How could I leave the day before it would launch? Then I heard it was not going up until Monday at the earliest and my decision was made for me. I would go home and see my family. We won’t have official word on a launch date until tomorrow anyway, and at that time I will figure out what to do next.

I can’t help but think that perhaps I am somehow responsible for this. I mean, two Tweetups for me, and two scrubs? Perhaps I should start thinking how my purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others?

I am really hoping to come back and see STS-134 launch early next week. I’ll call it NASA Tweetup v2.1, and let’s hope I don’t have to beg to be included in NASA Tweetup v3.0 in June (hey…that is my birthday month…hmmmm).

Godspeed, Endeavour, even if I can’t be three miles away when it happens.