I saw the coolest, most rare thing I'll probably ever see in my life last night

the space shuttle.

after a long and enjoyable talk with a good friend of mine last night, I got out of the car and started walking across the parking lot.

it was 330 in the morning.

I looked up and saw the most amazing, unusual sight. a tiny, bright light followed by the longest, thickest vapor trail you can imagine.

it was a streak of smoke that looked like it was ablaze, and it spanned from one side of the horizon all the way to the other.

I saw the space shuttle pass by overhead on its way to land in florida at approx. 327a this morning.

the l.a. times said it landed in florida at 332a our time.

so. . . that would mean that it took the shuttlers about 5 minutes to get from austin to florida.

that's the dope.

I figure, when I first saw it, it was probably over utah somewhere, and by the time I couldn't see it anymore, it was maybe over alabama.

I feel like I won the lottery.

it was so bizarre. it moves about 5 times as fast as any flying craft you've ever seen, and yet it goes so much slower than a shooting star.

you'd think it was a shooting star except it moves at so much slower a rate.

also, it's completely trippy how out of balance the size of the vapor trail is to the ship. your eyes are used to a certain perspective or size differential between craft and trail, and the space shuttle's vapor trail completely throws what you're used to out of whack.

I can now cross one more thing off my list of things to do before I kick it.

 

I wondered if anyone else on the bbs had ever caught a glimpse of it when it was passing by on its way to landing.

unfortunately, I did not obey the Rule of rockHEAD. I had no camera.

woe is me.