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| Manatees swim outside my motel room. |
Although the rain was easing off, I was sill not convinced that they would roll Atlantis out to the pad. The doors to the VAB remained closed, and I did not know how long it takes to raise them.
At the sight of the NASA van we all piled out of our cars. Soon the security dog and handler arrived, sniffed our equipment, and departed.
Eight of us boarded the NASA van. As dawn approached we sat, chatting, for a long time.
Then, over the van's VHF radio, came the word. There would be no motion of the shuttle stack until later in the day.
There was nothing to do except get out of the van and trudge up the hill to the News Center, where we awaited word on what was going to happen. Gradually more NASA people arrived to start their work shifts, and some reporters drifted in.
It was nearly mid-morning before we got the word that another attempt to roll STS 132 out to the launch pad would be made at midnight.
Discrete arrangements were made by our select party to reconvene at 10 pm that evening.
I left and by 9 am I was back at the Riverside Inn in Titusville. I spent twenty minutes watching manatees cavorting in the water right alongside the stone wall immediately outside of my room.
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Text, images and audio Copyright to Andrew Rennnie, 2010