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Students Drive Four Hours to Watch Shuttle Launch
November 14, 2008 11:10 PM
ABC News On Campus reporter Miles Doran blogs:
It’s Friday night and you’re in college. What are you going to do?
For a group of eight students at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the answer on this Friday night was: let’s go watch our first space shuttle launch.
The drive from Gainesville to Titusville would normally take about three hours. Turns out, these eight students weren’t the only ones who wanted to see Endeavour and her crew of seven light up the night sky.
Several of them spent four-and-a-half hours in 20-year-old Tyler Ausdemore’s silver 2006 Scion tc – 20 minutes of that time was spent just trying to get through a toll booth.
Tyler said he was worried they wouldn’t make it in time for the 7:55 p.m. launch.
Finally, they found a parking spot behind a condo complex in Titusville, 15 miles away from the Kennedy Space Center. But now they needed a viewing spot. The shuttle was just a couple minutes from blasting off and the clock was ticking. They had to run. Fast.
They jumped out of the car and jogged across the street to Space View Park, where a large crowd had gathered – like they always do – to watch the launch. Their view was blocked.
But UF junior Hannah Choi was not going to let a few bodies get in the way of seeing her first shuttle launch.
“I stepped on a couple people but I figured it would be worth it,” she said.
She elbowed her way through the crowd and made it to the edge of the park, right by the water, just in time to see Endeavour lift off in front of a full moon.
“It was like the sun coming out!” she said.
“It was a jaw-dropping experience,” said her friend, 20-year-old Rosie Rodriguez.
Was the drive worth it? Yes, they all said.
But now it’s time for a late-night drive back to Gainesville. There’s a football game tomorrow they don’t want to miss.
November 14, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (2)
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"Glory,Glory,Glory.....after 42 years I finaly read something of "Young-ones who decided do something "Logical".....!
The happeninngs who are great importants of the Century, deserve a- attention...! many time It is not so ssure...I am convinced that "The first-one Space ship got more attention in oversea, that at home....even it was so beautifly shoving on German television, that it is hard to express by words,incl. the gorgess blue color of Pacific... USA/CR
Posted by: Sugar,"The White Beauty | Nov 15, 2008 1:03:14 AM
After just reading the "manners 101" article, I found it interesting that this student found it appropriate to step on some people and elbow her way past people who were there before her so she could get a great view. How wonderful for her...
Posted by: belieu | Nov 15, 2008 12:36:52 PM
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