Endeavour

As the title says, I'm WITH Space Shuttle Endeavour at the Los Angeles Science Center. YAY!

This happened this past Thursday during a California monsoon. But let me back up a bit to explain HOW I'm here.

WE (my work) has me down in Southern California again on a PTS (Payload Transportation System) Mission. We have our enormous container at a factory, and today we are transitioning from days to nights (meaning yesterday I worked a day shift, and TODAY and for the next several days I work night shifts). SO...I have the day off as I don't report to work until 6pm. Hence, I drove thru the monsoon to the Science Center to see THE Shuttle Endeavour.

My big brother Greg volunteers here as a docent at the shuttle, as he has been involved in the program since he graduated college and was hired into Rocketdyne, working on the SSMEs (Space Shuttle Main engine). Hes very knowledgeable about the shuttles and enjoys his volunteer time. Sadly hes at his real job today but there are other docents for me to chat with. Being a monsoon day its not as crowded as it would likely be on a nicer day....that's ok with me! But there are obviously a LOT of school kids here even so.

 So here is the view as you walk into the room. BAM! The actual Space Shuttle! 

The very first thing you think is DAMN ITS BIG!

 Here is the cluster of three SSMEs. 

They are pretty large too, but look small when installed on the orbiter.

 One of the engines. 

Greg can tell you pretty much everything youd ever want to know about this engine.

 The view of the forward end of the port (left) side. I am a Navy guy after all...port and starboard are part of my lingo. (and we use port/starboard on our container too).

 Looking aft on the port side.

 Heres a shot of video cameras set up in the forward end of the cargo bay (with a science module installed), the aft end of the cargo bay, and 2 shots of the cockpit.

 Outside lies the last flight-worthy ET (External Tank) that they have acquired. In the future they plan to install the orbiter on the tank in launch configuration. they also have acquired a pair of Solid Fuel boosters, so they will also be attached to the ET. They are gathering money now for this change in their future display. The tank is WAY too large for me to capture in a photo (see below that I tried)...but this sign posted at the tank tells its story. The ET was made by my company in Louisiana.

Here is a shot looking from the bottom (as it would be standing upright for launch) to the top. 

It is HUGE!

So...if you go back up to the camera shots of inside the cargo bay, what I find truly interesting is that OUR container was created to transport the spacecraft from their respective factories to one of the 2 launch bases for the Space Shuttles. Yes, I said 2 launch bases. Vandenberg Air Force Base (where I work) was planned to launch shuttles. They built the launch pad and an extended runway for them to land (our runway was always one of the abort options for every returning shuttle throughout the life of the Shuttles).

So why didn't they ever launch any Shuttles from Vandenberg? One word. Challenger. When Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during launch so many years ago, it was carrying a VERY EXPENSIVE Government spacecraft. The loss of that cargo got the attention of the people in charge, who determined that the Shuttles were WAY to complex and risky to launch our most expensive satellites. So when they shut down shuttle launches for 3 years or so to evaluate the entire shuttle launch program, the Air Force had a rocket built that could launch the largest spacecraft (the ones the Shuttle Cargo bay was designed from the ground up to haul into space). And thus, no shuttle launches ever occurred from Vandenberg.

Anyway...the containers that we have and still use today were designed from the get-go to mimic the inside of the Space Shuttle cargo bay. Any LARGE payload that a shuttle would carry would first have likely been transported to Cape Canaveral (well, specifically Kennedy Space Center...the Cape is the Air Force side, and Kennedy is the NASA side) in our containers. Cape Canaveral is actually a city as well as a Space Launch base. Everything that we haul in our containers goes to the Cape since the Challenger disaster.  

OK. Enough on that. Ive probably bored you to tears already. Its time I grab a bite to eat, as tonight we load the aircraft (flew in last night) with our container, and tomorrow night we fly it home (back to Vandenberg)...HOORAY! Ive been here in So-Cal for 3 weeks now...be good to get home...its been a  LONG trip! 

And so...hopefully your weather is improving as Punxatawney Phil (the Ground Hog) promised an early spring. I know we have had our share of rain already...I am officially proclaiming ENOUGH! We are going to ahve an amazing flower bloom this spring, and then later in the year an amazing fire season from the spectacular growth. We just cant win.

Hope you have a nice week. Later gaters!

Cheers!

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Its done. In the record-books. Finished (at least for us, for SIR Elton John he has just a few more shows on this, his LAST tour... and then hangs up his funky glasses for good).

So...last night at the Los Angeles Staples Center we saw his Farewell Yellow Brick Road - Goodbye-  tour. Jeannie had bought us tickets a YEAR (literally) ago the moment they were on sale. And they were FANTASTIC tickets it turns out!

Along with the amazing tickets, she very smartly booked us into the Los Angeles JW Marriott for the night, which is actually looking at the Staples Center! We had a corner room on the 16th floor, and here was the view out our room window:

Here's Jeannie before the show as we were waiting in line for her to buy a hat (for her to wear on vacation at "the lake", the only time she wears a hat). This was the logo of this final tour.

 I considered buying a tour T-shirt, but I think I'm out of that NEED A SHIRT from every concert I go to phase (tho I haven't been to a concert in like 25 years or more now). The T shirts were $45 to $50 each, and I have a ton of T shirts that I already don't wear. But I stood in line for moral support. As soon as we got her the hat we headed for our seats.

 The show was slated to start at 8pm, but no concert in the history of concerts has ever started on time (as far as I know)...but EJ was pretty close...at quarter past 8 he was walking out on stage...alone. His first song: Bennie and the Jets! The rest of the band soon joined in as he started hammering away on the keys as only he can do. And I have to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised at how good his voice still is. I was honestly expecting something less than his A game, as he is getting up there in age (I was told he's 71 now!). But its apparent that EJ knows its best to go out on top, and that he is.

Our seats were in Row 7 on the right side of the stage. However, when we sat down (only SEVEN ROWS FROM THE STAGE!) we noticed that his grand piano was sitting sideways, facing us! OMG! He was so close that I could hit him with a rock (if I were inclined to spend the next year in jail). These are the best seats Ive ever had AT ANY SHOW, and I cant think of a better show to have them!

Our view of the stage before the show.

As to my general thoughts on the show, here it is in a single short and sweet thought:

I can die now. 

Not that I want to or anything, but of all the concerts Ive been to in my life, this one was the top of the heap, the creme de la creme. The ONE that wont be topped. I hadn't really expected that, but very soon in the sold out final LA show (he played 4 nights here) it became quite obvious.

Here are a few shots (OK, a BUNCH of shots) I took with my lame phone (and consider that my lame camera on my lame tracfone makes things look further away than they actually are).

 The show begins. This is the band and the super-monitor (there was a camera on the end of his piano giving the super-close-up view of EJ).

Here's the entire steup. Our seats were to die-for! I was stunned the entire show by how great our view was! Way to go JEANNIE!!!! (she is a planner-extraordinaire...planning is her superpower...eating and not gaining weight is mine).

I will try not to bore you too much, but I did take 115 pictures, hoping that a FEW came out clear. Here are a few of my plethora of shots:

 Here's a view of the crowd on the floor, and some of the stands.

 Here he's walking around the stage after a song, waving at all the fans.

 Here's a really clear shot of the view on the GIANT SCREEN above the band.

 Here you can see the entire setup...his piano, the band and the super-screen.

 Here his electric guitarist (can't remember his name) is at our side of the stage riling up the crowd.

 Here his piano is on the move to our side, and the song is "Goodby Norma Jean" (video and pictures of Marilyn Monroe were playing on the screen during the entire song).

 Here you can see HOW CLOSE he is to us at his piano-turnaround point. Just 7 rows away...WOW!!!

 Another shot of the entire affair, taken by an unknown video camera.

 Here I took a vertical shot showing (thru the lights) the nose-bleed seats WAY UP THERE...

you can barely see that there are people actually sitting up there! Our seats were the BEST!!!

 Nearing the end, they dropped a ton of confetti on the standing crowd.

 The end of the 'normal' show...the entire band bowing to the audience.

 And the encore...he played only two songs: "This songs for you" that he dedicated to all of us fans, and of course, the LAST song, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".

 After his last song he got on a conveyor thing and rode it up to the screen where a door opened.

 Here he's going thru the door, waving goodbye.

 And here is an animated bit as hes stepping onto and then walking away on the yellow brick road (wearing the same outfit he had on for the last 2 songs).

 Walking away.....

walking away...and finally disappearing in the distance.

 Right after that the lights came on and the roadies got ON IT. Game over, goodbye Elton John!

I'm still in awe of the show, and SO glad that Jeannie and I were able to see it! There's just no way anybody will top that...he played his Greatest Hits selected from over 50 years of Greatest Hits! He had a LOT to choose from, and you can probably name your favorite songs and he played pretty much all of them.

WOW. That's it...just WOW. And thank you to Elton John for a lifetime of awesome music! It was truly a privilege to see you play! I'll never forget it!

And lastly, Goodby.