The next Space Shuttle launch, this time for Endeavour, is scheduled for March 11 at (yikes) 2:28 a.m. Eastern time.
I won’t be live-Twittering it. 
However, NASA has a fleet of support stuff for you, the launch junkie, to learn all about STS 123, including a web site, a launch blog, and a live interview with STS 127 astronaut Julie Payette at 11:30 a.m Eastern time on March 10.
Night launches are very cool, but I’m not sure I want to stay up past 1:00 local time to watch it all. We’ll see.
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Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
Contact me: The Bad Astronomer "at" gmail "dot" com
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March 7th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
When NASA launches to the northeast, the Shuttle can be observed zipping by if one looks to the southeast. If it is really clear, there appears to be a “tail”. Most times, the shuttle appears to be bright white but I have seen it appear as red.
Never got a pic, though. Myabe my new 10 megapixel can do it.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
already? Sweet.
Now if only they could just… go and fix hubble. Seriously.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
What kills me is that my parents are going to be able to watch the shuttle twice (vacationing in Florida) and they don’t care much about it. I change my vacation three times in 2005 and they delayed it right out of my vacation time. Argghhh. And a night flight would be SO cool.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
1:28 Central Time is too late for me, I will record the launch on my DVR (computer) and watch it in the morning. I could probably figure out how to share the file if anyone wanted it.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
BA: “Night launches are very cool, but I’m not sure I want to stay up past 1:00 local time to watch it all. We’ll see.”
Wait, you’re a diurnal astronomer? Hard to see the stars during the daytime.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Where/how would I figure out whether the launch will be visible from the Tampa/St. Pete area? I’m often up that late, and with the number of launches winding down, will take what I can get.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I wish I could be there to see it. My life-long regret is that I never saw a Saturn V launch, but I was only 7 when the last one happened. A shuttle launch would be nice to see.
A friend of mine worked with (I think) Martin Marrieta in the early 80’s and had a viewpoint for a shuttle launch far closer than most of the public, his description of the noise (the _feel_ of the noise) is amazing. I wish I could see one.
But – what about Jules Verne – the ATV – gotta be worth a comment – Phil?
March 7th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I also won’t be able to post a countdown on MuseBlog as I did with Atlantis, although I did manage to get the launch on the monthly calendar, and I will be the first in the morning with the latest news on the mission.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Ragutison 07 Mar 2008 at 4:58 pm
Where/how would I figure out whether the launch will be visible from the Tampa/St. Pete area? I’m often up that late, and with the number of launches winding down, will take what I can get.
Check the various websites. I use a NASA site to determine the lauch angle.
Years ago I saw Apollo 9 maneuvering while waiting to spring an ambush in Vietnam. That was pretty cool, too.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
As a guy who’s seen all the Saturn launches, I still have to say, if you can go, do. Several years ago my wife and I were in the Banana River on a boat for an early night launch in the fall, and we could watch the Shuttle clear to the horizon. Try Playalinda Beach for this one.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Ragutis,
Even evening launches are easily visible from the Gainesville area, so you should be able to see it at night, even though you have to look past Orlando.
March 8th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Well it will be 6:28am here in the UK. I’ll be watching it before I leave for work. Yay!
March 10th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
If you can get near Ft. DeSoto park (just south west of St. Pete) the viewing is perfect from there. I know they close parts of the park after dark but you there is a campground so some areas must be open. It may be okay viewing from Tierra Verde just before you get to the park. I used to watch from there when I was in college in St. Pete. I’ll be watching this one (if I can stay awake) from Gainesville.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:12 am
[...] on March 11, 2008, 10:11 amby admin best video: sts 123 foruser(); Next Shuttle launch: March 11 at 2:28 a.m. The next Space Shuttle launch, this time for Endeavour, is scheduled for March 11 at yikes 2:28 [...]
March 12th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Wrote # MandyDax on 07 Mar 2008 at 4:48 pm
——-
BA: “Night launches are very cool, but I’m not sure I want to stay up past 1:00 local time to watch it all. We’ll see.”
Wait, you’re a diurnal astronomer? Hard to see the stars during the daytime.”
————
Well there’s always one star up in the daytime sky – its the one located just one AU (or Astronomical Unit – The Earth-Sun dist. approx 140,000 million km I think.)
Plus sometimes if you look really closely at exactly the right spot there’ll be Venus visible as well!
Mandy Dax – Hmm … any relation of Jadzia Dax or the other ST : DS9 Dax symbiont there?
BTW. Posting this too late I guess but anyone know what time launch was for the astronauts? Having the ‘Endeavour’ crew up at 2.30 am to launch seems a bit er .. dangerously tiring … to me ..
Here in Adelaide, Oz it was well ..before 6 pm my time as that’s roughly when I heard it’d launched successfully with the ISS ’s Kibo module on my radio.