Watching the night sky turn to day and feeling the distant sonic boom of a million pounds of rocket fuel ignite was not something I ever thought I would get to see in person, much less from a special viewing area at the Kennedy Space Center.
I was there with my family and we had set the alarm for 1 AM. After only three hours of sleep we were running on excitement and adrenaline and didn’t feel the least bit tired. The hotel–just across the water from the Space Center–was futuristic, complete with an exceptionally polite robot to show us to our room and best of all, was a very short drive from where we would meet up for the launch.
Nothing is more surreal than pulling right up to the front gates of a massive government facility and being waved through in pitch blackness. We parked and walked the empty grounds, past the rocket garden and into a waiting space-themed bus. We disembarked at the Banana Creek viewing platform, which is usually packed with spectators, but that morning it was just us and a tiny team of technicians from a private space firm…and about a thousand mosquitos not employed by NASA or SpaceX. A jumbotron was set up and displayed a live feed of the rocket–visible, but small on the horizon about 10 km away. The launch was being streamed on YouTube and we learned about the rocket’s previous missions, its current cargo – including our slime mold – and details about how it would dock with the Space Station.
Michelle Lewis, our fearless Higher Orbits leader, told us about what to expect and encouraged us to experience the launch with our own eyes rather than try to take photos or video. Knowing that the launch could be scrubbed at any moment, kept the suspense high. I had my first day of senior year of high school the very next day and would not be able to stay in Florida for the viewing if it did not take off as planned. When the countdown hit T minus 30 seconds we all stopped watching the jumbotron and turned our attention to the platform. All of a sudden, it happened! The launch took place at 2:45 AM – right on time. We watched it arc across the sky, getting smaller and smaller, but still blazing bright. All things considered, it was over quite quickly, but we were pretty amped up.
Since the launch, I’ve peeked at the slime mold camera feed and written a few dozen essays for my college applications. It’s only been a month, but it feels like a world away. Now that I have had a taste of a successful launch, I can’t wait to start at an engineering school next year and dive back into another exciting project like this one. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have met the other kids who came from across the US, to hear their stories, and see their passion for their projects. Thank you Michelle for all of your hard work and the energy that you put into this program. I am grateful for the opportunity.
Written By Stellar Student Ryan Sullivan
