Shuttle Launch (updated with pics)

So far so good.  I arrived on schedule around 9 tonight.  I'm currently "camped" on the side of US Rt. 1 just south of Titusville.  I could see the shuttle and vehicle assembly building across the water from where I sit in my van if it weren't for a row of palm trees.  But I can walk 30 feet to the water's edge and have a great night view there - spotlights are hitting the shuttle in all directions.  I'll be up early tomorrow to stake a spot on the water's edge just up the road (the palm trees will block my view upward if I stay here).  They are supposed to have made a decision at 11 to fill the fuel tank but I don't see anything on their web site yet.  Talk later!

Have a safe trip!  Hope it works out this time for you.

"Really badly", yes!  So much so I'm ALSO now considering taking the whole family back down for the final launch in June so they can get a chance to see it.  We're looking into getting my wife's flight to Chicago changed to depart from Orlando.  Don't know yet, still thinking about it.  I'm still likely to go down this weekend as a backup plan to be sure I see it in case the summer trip doesn't work out.

Not too worried about sleeping in the van, I've done it before and it will be no different than sleeping in my tent out in the woods.  A little nicer actually since the floor is perfectly flat.  I'll have my camping gear which is fairly comfortable.  Good idea on the shower, rpodcamper.  I'll be close to 95 so there must be one somewhere.

You must want to go really badly if you are willing to go solo this trip!  Not to mention sleeping in the van.  Enjoy . . . and bring back pics.

The biggest question mark is getting my wife out of work - at this point any day off for this "mission" is unpaid, but her boss seems flexible in at least granting the time off.  So that would be a point in favor or waiting until this summer since she isn't getting paid then anyway.  But, I would really like to see this shuttle go up.  Its the one we saw on the pad when we did the KSC tour 1 1/2 weeks ago and of course the one we've expected to see go up all along... but seeing the last one go up would be just as cool.

You have a great point about the bleepin heat in summer.  We were there in July 3 years ago for Disney and I would love to avoid that (but its the same heat/humidity we have at home so not an insurmountable problem).  My bigger worry is since it would be the last flight there could be a million people there all over the place.  They said last Friday's attempt drew an unusually large crowd of 750,000 which wasn't too bad in-person since everyone was spread out over many miles.  If we have to deal with that, we will.  A big problem with waiting until summer is my wife is going to a teacher's conference in Chicago for a week starting June 30th and the current target date for the Shuttle is June 28th.  No wiggle room there!