Space shuttle launch hoping to outdo Royal Wedding
Published: April 28, 2020
In true American style, the launch of NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour is set to rival the Royal Wedding of Prince William (not William Prince who’s acting career flourished in the 1940‘s and 50‘s) and Kate Middleton (I couldn’t find anyone called Middleton Kate with which to make a clever pun) in the ratings wars.
According to America that is.
There are certain draws for both, after all how often do we get to witness a marital coming together of such high class proportions? And how often do we get to see a group of adrenaline junkies strap themselves to a filthy great booster engine and hurtle into space in a matter of seconds?
NASA hope that space shuttle Endeavour's last voyage will be as historic an event as the royal wedding.
Not often on both counts, that’s for sure.
There is a certain appeal where the space shuttle is concerned, Endeavour’s launch being the penultimate journey of a 30 year old program which has captivated the imaginations of millions and millions of ordinary people since space shuttle Columbia made its maiden flight on April 12th, 1981.
The draw of this event is so great that several high profile guests are attending including Republican President Barack Obama and his family, and the miraculous Gabrielle Giffords (wife of shuttle pilot Mark Kelly) who is making great strides towards recovery after the tragic shootings in Tucson which almost claimed her life.
Close to a million people are expected to make the journey to Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre hoping to capture a moment in history that will soon be nothing more than a story.
The shuttle launch is scheduled for 3:47 pm EST (that’s 19:47 GMT) and Endeavour, on its last ever adventure, will blast off from Launch Pad #39A.
“I think there’s a lot of excitement,” said a clearly stoked Jeff Spaulding, NASA test director. “We’re really pleased with the attention. It’s a historic launch.”
Luckily those clever NASA people have managed to schedule this latest space shuttle launch for several hours after the Royal Wedding ceremony will be finished meaning that if spectators can tear themselves away the continually repeated wedding replays that will undoubtedly run for the next 10 years, they will indeed get a great crowd, both in person and viewing through media.
Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts on the space shuttle Endeavour mission.
Read about the space shuttle Challenger’s 25th anniversary; Gabrielle Giffords recovery; the Royal Wedding shocker; media hype surrounding the wedding and how the wedding broadcast is going all ‘X Factor‘.
images: wallpaperbase.com; hdwallpaper.co.cc; search.independent.co.uk; realbeauty.com
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