Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Ames Launch & Comedy

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To follow-up on the launch of STS-129 from the NASA Ames media site in California, here is my short video of the actual take-off. Not quite as exciting as watching from the Cape, but still a very interesting experience, as it was the first time I'd ever heard an astronaut guide the proceedings.

After we did some media spots and everyone got their cameras set up, Bo Bobko, veteran of missions STS-6 (Challenger), STS-51-D (Discovery) and STS-51-J (first flight of Atlantis) took the press through the countdown.

I snuck back behind the small control center to get my own clip. They only had a nine-minute hold that morning, then everything else went by-the-book!


And, for those of you who have already watched the Atlantis launch on NASA TV, here's a comedy break instead. Safe for work. The always-hilarious host of the Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson, gives it straight to those people in denial who say the Apollo program didn't truly land on the moon...

And throws in his Scooby-Doo impression for good measure.


He also gives a pretty good explanation for what it will take to get us back to the moon -- and I can't wait to see the bottled water packaging ;)

Sometimes it's funny because it's true... other times, it's sad because it's true. This commentary often appears to be both!