Vacation 2011: Tailgating, NASA Style

We woke at 4 a.m. and drove over to Titusville from the Orlando area where we were staying with the professor's sister and brother-in-law. We arrived before daylight.


Ten dollars per person at sunrise got us "front row seats" in someone's backyard.
It was so worth it!

Eager.

Look at all the people on the bridge!
Many of them camped out overnight to secure their spot.

We had plenty of time to kill so we wandered over to the bridge to see what we could see.

Serving up coffee on launch day since the Apollo program.

A history lesson in Space View Park.

Waiting, waiting, waiting... lots of waiting.
We were thankful for the cloud cover.

Snacking, snacking, snacking.

And then we all counted down together...

And cheered...

And agreed it was spectacular.
Tailgating in Titusville, Florida
6:00 a.m. to 11:26 a.m.
July 8, 2011
STS-135, Atlantis
{The photos in this post were a collaborative effort by the professor, my brother-in-law, and me.}