From the Inside Out

With everything that’s happened lately, I haven’t had a chance to blog about my Space Shuttle adventure. It started at 10:30 pm on Sunday, April 5 in the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field.

Everyone met there and had the opportunity to take pictures with Neil Armstrong who traveled along with our tour group. It was an amazing opportunity and a big honor to shake hands with the first man to walk on the moon! I have the framed picture that they gave us proudly displayed in my living room.

We boarded the plane around midnight to travel to Melbourne Florida. It would be a quick, 2.5 hour flight and then we’d shuttle to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to watch the Space Shuttle Discovery launch.

On the plane, we received backpacks filled with “goodies” from NASA. The plane was also festively decorated with little green men (behind me on the right) and space shuttles — a cute way to get everyone in the mood for the launch.

We arrived at the VIP viewing area about 20 minutes before launch. They were playing the live radio feed from NASA over the P.A. system so everyone could hear the status of the launch. The clock above was the launch count down, and you could see a close-up view of the space shuttle on the TV screen.

There was much excitement in the air as everyone waited for the launch — scheduled for 6:20 a.m. It would be the last pre-dawn Space Shuttle launch because the shuttle program is scheduled to end this year.

Our location was the closest viewing point for a launch, reserved for VIPs and the astronauts’ friends and family. It was about 2-3 miles away from the launch pad.

The lights shining on the launch pad painted bright rays across the early morning sky, making it a striking focal point for everyone to view. A half moon was the only other light in the sky until the International Space Station came into view and streaked across the sky about 15 minutes before the launch. The entire crowd started to clap and cheer. Discovery would chase this space station, catch up with it, and dock there for its mission. Amazing!

Just a few minutes before launch, everyone stood as a woman sung the national anthem. Then it was time to start counting down…10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1….launch!!

Pictures can’t do it justice, but it lit up the sky like the sun. Amidst cheers, screams, claps and awe, it rose into the sky.

It was so bright that it hurt your eyes when you looked at it too long. Almost looked like a nuclear explosion. It was beautiful and mesmerizing.

A beautiful sight as it thundered and roared into space

In only a few seconds it was leaving our atmosphere and entering space.

I think the picture says it all — wow!

The picture above was what happened when the sun rose and hit the gases and fuel that had been left behind by the space shuttle

After the launch, we traveled to the Kennedy Space Center for breakfast with an astronaut and a tour through the visitor center and museums.

Rock Garden at Kennedy Space Center

Breakfast with Captain Jon McBride

After a few hours at the Kennedy Center, we traveled back to the airport for our trip home. Once in the air, the pilot flew us over the area where the space shuttle launched. We had special permission for the fly over and were able to take pictures from the plane.

The runway on the upper right is where the space shuttle will land

The building where they store the shuttles is at the bottom of the picture and the launch pad is in the middle near where the land meets the ocean. It was a beautiful sight and rare glimpse from the sky.

Here’s our viewing area for the launch

Less than 18 hours after we departed, we were back in Dallas. It was an amazing trip, a once in a lifetime experience. Even though it was hard to go, it was worth every minute of it.

There are three launches left before the program ends. If you have the chance to watch it live, do it! You won’t regret it.

On April 11th, a piece of history will come tumbling down. It will be a bittersweet day for many Dallas Cowboys’ fans as they watch the implosion of Texas Stadium — the building that the Dallas Cowboys called home for 37 seasons. I was at Texas Stadium for the Cowboys’ last game in the building. It was a historic night, and it was hard to believe that the Cowboys would never play there again. Now, it’s hard to believe that on April 12th that landmark building won’t even exist. It will be strange to drive by that area and see it empty and void.

The implosion is sponsored by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese as part of its “Cheddar Explosion” marketing campaign (exploiting an implosion to help sell more macaroni…interesting). An 11-year old boy gets the distinct honor of triggering the implosion. He was awarded this honor by writing the winning essay in a contest sponsored by the company.

If you want to see him pull the trigger and watch this historic moment, you can. The implosion will take place at dawn on April 11. Officials recommend that you arrive early to reserve your space in the stadium’s red lot — the only public area from which you can view the implosion. The lot is estimated to hold about 5,000 cars, and it’s first come, first served. Tickets cost $25 (earplugs not included), and all proceeds will go to local charities.

Goodbye Texas Stadium…and thanks for all of the great memories!

I participated in the 3rd annual JDRF “Cycling for a Cure” event this morning. It benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and through this event, over $100K was raised to help find a cure for a disease that affects nearly 3 million Americans.

Cycling for a Cure is a 12-hour indoor cycling marathon. Riders can cycle for the entire 12 hours on their own bike or participate as a relay team switching out in 1-2 hour increments. I participated with colleagues from my company, and we rode as a relay team. Since I had drama rehearsal from 1-6 today, I was only able to participate for an hour, but I had a blast!

They squeezed about 50 bikes into the spinning room at LifeTime Fitness in Allen and created a really cool environment for the riders. If you’ve been to a spinning class, it’ll sound familiar. The room was dim, lively music was playing, and cycling videos were displayed on large screens at the front of the room. A spinning instructor (and event creator) kept everyone entertained and led us through some of the spinning exercises to keep the energy level high and give everyone a great workout. Volunteers walked around with water, towels, fruit, and various snacks for the riders. We never had to leave our bikes; they had everything we needed. It was really neat.

Before and after riding, you could hang out in the rider’s room where they had lots of food and amenities for the riders. You could even get free chair massages, which is a nice treat after riding for a long time on the bike. Prize drawings took place throughout the day, but the real winners were the people who unselfishly raised lots of money to help find a cure.

Even though I could only participate for a short amount of time, I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and I plan to participate again next year — hopefully for a longer time!

For more info about JDRF, check out: www.jdrf.org. Together, we can help find a cure.

If you missed the popular Perseid meteor shower this year, don’t fret. According to experts at NASA, the best meteor shower of 2009 is about to fall over North America. In the middle of December, it may be a cold night, but the possibility of viewing up to 140 meteors per hour could be worth it. So, dress warm, make some hot cocoa, and get ready for the light show.

The Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak on Dec. 13th and 14th under ideal viewing conditions. A new Moon will keep skies dark for the display and maximum activity should occur around 12:10 a.m. EST on Dec. 14th. No telescope is necessary, just try to find a dark place with little light pollution and then start scanning the sky.

NASA says the “Geminids are pieces of debris from a strange object called 3200 Phaethon. Long thought to be an asteroid, Phaethon is now classified as an extinct comet. It is, basically, the rocky skeleton of a comet that lost its ice after too many close encounters with the sun. Earth runs into a stream of debris from 3200 Phaethon every year in mid-December, causing meteors to fly from the constellation Gemini.”

Astronomers believe the intensity is increasing every year, which means the show just keeps getting better. Mark your calendar now, and don’t miss out on the best meteor shower of the year!

We went downtown tonight to catch a concert with one of my favorite alternative Christian bands, Switchfoot. They were playing at the House of Blues in Dallas, and it was an awesome show!

We arrived early with tickets in hand, but there was already a long line of concert goers waiting to get into the venue. At first, I thought they were in line to get tickets, so we went to the box office area to evaluate the situation. When we got there, we realized it was in fact a line of people waiting to get inside. Before leaving, we confirmed it with one of the event staff, but instead of directing us to the back of the line, he started talking about their VIP Lounge, the Foundation Room. And then he did the unexpected…he walked us to the VIP entrance and gave us entrance into their special lounge to wait for the show!! It was SO cool!

The Foundation Room is a lounge with a number of small gathering areas uniquely decorated with art and artifacts from around the world. You can hang out there and grab some food before the show. I’ve been in the Foundation Room at the HoB Chicago and Las Vegas for corporate events, but usually the space is dedicated for “members” only. Needless to say, we were thrilled to be there. Gary and I arrived about 90 minutes before the show was scheduled to begin so we lounged in one of the private rooms (pic below), grabbed some food, and enjoyed our evening.

The concert began at 9 pm. Switchfoot recently released a new album (in early November), so they decided to do something different during this concert. They performed the entire album — start to finish. Afterwards, they came back for a 2nd set and performed some of the “fan favorites.” It was really funny when they left the stage for a quick break, they said whatever song the audience was singing when they came back would be the song they would play next. Soon, the audience began to sing, “Oh Gravity,” and the band kept their promise. They strolled on stage and began to play the song.

It was a fantastic show! Not only did the band play some amazing songs, but they let us have fun too. Their stage presence was entertaining — natural, not overdone, just right. They also had fun with the audience, interacting with us and drawing us into the performance. I will definitely go see them again the next time they are in town, and hopefully they’ll be playing at the House of Blues again. It’s a great venue!

Below are some grainy cell phone pics from tonight’s show:

Hanging out in the Foundation Room before the show

Gary and the Buddha

Ah, so much better than waiting outside in the cold in a long line!

Audience waiting for the show

Switchfoot!!!!

Gary’s cell phone camera is much better than mine — here’s another, less grainy, shot of the band.

This one is for you, Mom. The guy on the right was playing an accordion! Never heard that before in a rock band, but it was great. The lead singer was also playing a harmonica…pretty cool!