February 14, 2008
Students
Volume 114 Issue 14 gas
launch to see Atlantis G . K e i t h E va n s the sandspur
On an unseasonably warm February a ernoon, technicians at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration wrestled with the decision of whether to keep Space Shu le Atlantis on the ground. Weather forecasters had projected only a 30% chance of weather suitable for flight and the Orlando area was reporting overcast conditions with sca ered showers. The weather on Florida’s “Space Coast,” though, was markedly different. With only sca ered clouds blocking the otherwise beautiful blue sky less than half an hour before the launch window, NASA officials made their call: go for launch. This decision was good news to a lucky group of Crummer EAMBA XII students who were positioned at a vantage point so exclusive that even members of the press were further away. “We viewed the launch from the Saturn V exhibit located 3.2 miles from the launch site. This area is typically reserved for employees, families and guests of NASA,” Crummer student Nate Roberts said. The special invitation extended to the Crummer students came courtesy of Colonel Joe Dowdy, the Special Operations Manager in the Office of the Director at Kennedy Space Center. Just a few months prior to the launch, Col. Dowdy had delivered a presentation to Crummer students; a erwards, he and Dr. Susan Bach of the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business worked together to make the viewing possible. Thankfully, however, the weather cooperated. At 1:45pm Space Shu le Atlantis roared to life with its trademark sound and fiery display of power. “The launch was impressive,” Roberts said, “the fire and clouds of smoke coming from the rockets was intense. You could feel the sound in your feet as the ground shook from the noise. “ All that power was necessary to break the constraints of gravity, especially considering the heavy cargo carried on this mission. The purpose of this flight, officially referred to as Space Transportation System flight 122 (or STS-122 for short),
Tars sweep at home opener Danika Tanzini / the sandspur
DOUBLEHEADER: Tars defeat St. Thomas February 9th at the Alfond home opener game. After winning the doubleheader the baseball team now has four straight wins with 9-5 Game One and 9-2 Game Two victories. Next game is versus Bryant University on February 16 with first pitch at 7pm.
is to carry a 23-foot long, 10.3 ton European laboratory module to the International Space Station. In addition to shu ling routine Georgina Lyon / the sandspur
LAUNCH
water and supplies to the station, astronauts will also be using the Shu le’s robotic arm and performing spacewalks to a ach the module. Named the “Columbus Laboratory,” this laboratory is the European Space Agency’s cornerstone contribution to research aboard the space station. Once its mission is completed and all safety checks are finished, Atlantis is expected
to return home to Kennedy Space Center on February 18. With a 9:57am landing expected, many Rollins students will be too occupied with class or work to witness the return in person. Generally speaking, far fewer people a end landings than launches. So many people a end the dramatic launches, in fact, that traffic is o en snarled as onlookers depart for home. The Crummer students experienced
this effect first-hand. “Our return trip to Rollins was an absolute nightmare,” Lyon said of the mass exodus of shu le launch viewers. Roberts agreed, likening the gridlock to a mob of fans leaving a football game, “It took us two and a half hours to get back from Kennedy [Space Center] to Rollins.” Lyon added, “but it was well worth it.”