My Journal 

    We experience the biggest thrill of our lives on April 17, 1998.  We witnessed the launch of space shuttle Columbia. Which held Pekinite Scott Altman who also went to school at EJHS.  On April 16 though my heart struck rock bottom when I heard that the launch was delayed. The delay made me feel like I was just in Florida for the heck of it. Not to watch a shuttle launch. When I heard that the Columbia would go up the next day my spirits went up again.
    That day at the Kennedy Space Center I was still bummed about the whole event. The day at KSC was fun and all, but the delay still remained in my mind. If the shuttle didn't go up the next day there would be a possibility that we would have to go back to Pekin, and we wouldn't be able to view the launch from Florida. I think that was on everyone's mind that day.
    The next morning we woke up early and everyone hoped that it wouldn't be a repeat of what happened the day before. We then heard news that the launch will occur on April 17 at 1:19. We were so happy! I just felt relived. All of our work will finally pay off. The launch site's atmosphere was just spectacular. Everyone was wearing STS-90 t-shirts and hats. I felt really proud of what we were doing at that point in time. I was also wondering how the kids back at Edison were feeling about this whole ordeal. I imagined the school packed into rooms that had tv's, and how everyone was talking about Scott, and our trip. The countdown made me anxious for the shuttle to go up. When the clock started at t minus three hours I thought that it would seem like forever before the Columbia would go up. After the countdown began we had lots of work to do.
    We interviewed people from Pekin, and people who knew Scott Altman. We tried to find mostly people from Pekin, but there was nobody from the Pekin area at all at our launch viewing site. We did get to talk to people who put the rats, and the mice aboard the space shuttle. I think that they both really liked their jobs, and who wouldn't! I personally have wanted to be an astronaunt, or at least just work for NASA since I've been 2 or so. I think that working for NASA would be a thrill of a job.
    The countdown kept getting smaller and smaller. Everyone was getting pretty impatient. I know that I was. The interviews were rally neat. We interviewed the lady that put the rats and mice onboard, at NASA technician, Scott Altman's cousin, and Scott's hunting buddy. I think that the variety of the interviews we did really intrigued me. We went from NASA technicians to Scott's hunting pal. Now that's variety! The launch was getting closer and closer. Then when it reached inside an hour people were thinking that the launch would be right around the corner, but with all of the clock delays used for computer and hardware checks the countdown was really at an hour and a half.
    The launch site that we were at was pretty big, and the whole place was filled to the brim with impatient spectators like myself that wanted to see STS-90 go up in space. I was thinking about how Scott felt. He was probably nervous and scared. I know that my knees were shaking together. I just couldn't get the Challenger out of my mind. It could happen to anybody and anything. I was probably more scared than Scott was. The hard part was finding a gap to see through. Everyone was standing, and for a thirteen year old kid to see over hundreds of people that are taller than me was pretty hard. But with determination I finally found a two inch gap.
    The countdown was at 5 minutes and everyone was tense and silent. Jake and other members of my crew were looking at their watches, hoping that the time would go faster. It didn't though. It seemed like forever. I think that was the longest five minutes of my life. Then the countdown reached one minute, and there was no turning back from there. At thirty seconds the whole launch site was as silent as a graveyard in the middle of the night.
    Then out of nowhere smoke flies up, and an orangle glow appears from under the Columbia. It took about six seconds for the shuttle to clear the launch pad. Then it didn't matter if I had a gap to see through. Everyone within 40 miles could probably see the Columbia's rockets aglaze in the blue Florida sky. I could imagine Scott straped in a seat with thousands of pounds of thrust under his seat.
    Then I thought about how Scott's parents felt. I could imagine them hugging their friends and family with everyone shedding tears. It was a good thing that I was wearing sunglasses because I think that my eyes were watering. I was so proud of the United States of America, and more importantly I was proud of Scott D. Altman. Pekin's first citizen to fly in the black sky over 200 miles away we call space. I'll bet that Scott's kids were smiling, and maybe even crying. I wonder if they'll be astronauts? But if they have the work ethic and determination as their father they'll be going to space and back.
    After the launch we packed into the vans and gave an announcement over Mr. Bland's cellular phone to the student body of Edison Junior High School. Half of them probably ignored us because they don't care about NASA, or space flight, but even if they didn't I was sure to make them listen to me because a man that had once sat in the same desks as them was in space, and waving down at the state named Illinois. If didn't care they should, and I think that was one of our goals of the Edison Space Camp. Make people listen. I think that during that announcement we acomplished our goal.
    Later that night we went to a restaurant in Cocoa Beach where the Altman's and their friends had a reception to honor their friend our family member who was in space as we spoke there. When we left the state of Florida which held us as guests for a historical three days for us. I then waved back at my new hero in space, Scott D. Altman.

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