And then, just like that, even though you weren't ready for it, the party was definitely over. A mere four miles from the pad, we had a spectacular view of blast-off. I was more relieved than excited when, just over two minutes later, the solids were jettisoned. A mere eight minutes and 40 seconds into the mission the shuttle achieved orbit, transfer passed to mission control at Johnson Space Center and, suddenly, those of us at Kennedy were yesterday's news. Besides the hard work, adrenaline rush and sense of accomplishment, the thing I will remember most from this mission is the amazing feeling of teamwork I experienced as part of that NASA news room crew.
Nothing brings people together like a mission.
From those who allowed us to come into their facility and act like we belonged, to all of the interlopers, like myself, who worked their tails off but wouldn't have had it any other way, it was a great bonding and reaffirming experience. Even for those who support launch and landing on a regular basis, one got the impression that this was something unusual, something special. Ironically, I returned home to a week or more's worth of accumulated mail, and the first thing I opened was an entry form for a shuttle sweepstakes contest from the Smithsonian.