Do you ever wonder how many people are aware of another space shuttle launch when it occurs? Have the launches become so mundane that as a nation we barely take notice when there is one? Sure, the media still covers them, but do we stop to watch the pictures on television or do we switch channels? Do you plead guilty to all of the above?

I have to confess to not taking much interest in the launch schedule, like so many others. In Florida, the local media puts much more emphasis on the coming events at Kennedy Space Center than the national media does. Maybe that's to be expected since it's happening right there in Florida.

In March of 2009, I was in Florida where I spend a few months of every year. I couldn't miss all the coverage the upcoming space shuttle launch was getting on TV. Maybe it was time to renew my interest in space shots since I lived relatively close to where it would happen.

Four of us planned to make the trek to the Space Coast to witness in person what we'd only ever seen on television. The launch was scheduled for 10:00 pm. The trip to Titusville, FL takes a minimum of two hours one way so we knew we'd be very late getting back home. We made our plans. On the day of the launch NASA announced a problem with a hydrogen leak. The mission was scrubbed and so was our trip. We were disappointed but not deterred.

The launch was scheduled again within a couple of days. This time it was set for a 7:28 pm liftoff. This suited us better. I began to wonder how many people actually show up for these launches and how much time we should allow for crowds if there were any. We left mid-afternoon intending to have dinner in Titusville and then find a viewing spot. We were well aware that this launch could be scrubbed too but figured it was worth a try.

Imagine my surprise when we arrived in Titusville about three hours before the launch and the streets were mobbed with people all waiting for the same thing. We had dinner and then began to cruise up and down the busy street looking for a place we could slip into to watch the "show".

People with lawn chairs, sun umbrellas and picnic baskets lined the banks of the water across from the island where the launch would take place. Vendors had set up tents selling tee shirts, caps, pins and miscellaneous items as souvenirs commemorating the event. The whole festive atmoshere was contagious. Good fortune smiled on us. We found a space just big enough to get the car into along the highway. We joined the throngs to wait. People milled about and talked to everyone. No one was a stranger. We all shared a common bond and that was to see history being made once again. At that point, it didn't matter that we've walked on the moon and deployed a space station that has people from different countries living on it full time. There was nothing ordinary about this. Real danger exists every time we launch a manned rocket and that feeling permeated the air, adding to the excitement.

As the time drew near, a man in front of us had his truck radio tuned to a live broadcast from Kennedy Space Center. I listened closely to everything being said. The truck owner asked us if we'd like to climb up into the bed of his truck to get a better view. Of course, we did. I think we were three to five miles away from the launch site but the structures are so enormous that we could see a lot with the naked eye.

Liftoff! The firey ignition, the tremendous roar, the rumbling ground beneath our feet and the impact of the force of the liftoff in my stomach is an experience I'll never forget. While we watched, the spokesperson on the radio kept announcing the altitude, distance and speed of the shuttle. Then the solid rocket boosters separated according to plan. We watched the two tiny specks drop toward the ocean as the shuttle flew on.

Breathtaking and magnificent doesn't begin to described the experience. I wholeheartedly urge you to see it for yourself if you ever have the opportunity.