Very, very nice!

I'll, hopefully, be happy with some knives for my 21st next month.

Wow. Take lots of pictures.

That's just

Well, get 'em while you can because there's only four more planned Shuttle flights left.
Cool present and I hope you take lots of pictures and share 'em with us when you get back, just to make us all jealous. (8+)

Mark

Cheers everybody, I need to post in the camera thread as I only have a compact digit at the moment which really isn’t the thing to have in your hand if your watching the shuttle launch and I have no clue as to what to get?

Very cool present, I'd love to see a shuttle launch.

Make some subtle hints for everyone else to club together, and buy you a nice camera to capture the moment.

Of course, you do realise that flowers and chocs just won't cut it for the GF's next birthday?

Lol yesterday I was watching Frasier. Frasier and Niles wanted to buy their dad a present for his 65th b'day. In previous years, they had tried to outdo each other so this year they agreed noto to and set a price limit. Except they still tried to outdo each other.

It's an awesome present that cannot be topped. You will have to either surprise her on her 39th or 41st since she'll be expecting something big on her 40th.

By the way, happy birthday, enjoy your holiday and get some pics for us!

Managed to get tickets to go into the space centre on launch day (which was no easy task) went into the virtual waiting room at 08:45ET for the 09:00 availability of tickets for launch day on the 18/03/10. Was hoping for tickets to get on to the causeway to Launch Complex (which is the closest place you can get to the launch pad) but they had all gone by the time I got randomly picked to buy... (09:50ET) but the visitors complex viewing area is still within 8 miles of the launch, 2 mile nearer anywhere you can get outside of the complex.

[LIFTED][LIFTED][LIFTED][LIFTED] Shuttle lauched has been moved to the 5th of April [/TOSSERS]

Anybody interested in a couple of launch day tickets, they arrived yeasterday

Replay of the STS-131 Space Shuttle Discovery Launch that I had tickets to see (approx viewing area around would have been where the count down clock is in the clip) but missed due to launch date movement.

STS-131 Launch via Space Shuttle Discovery

Gutted.....

Just watched that and I understand your guttedness. That is an awesome thing to behold. I can't wondering though - do you get a better view on YouTube than you do from Kennedy?

F1 has better coverage on TV but even if you are stuck on one part of the track you can't beat the experience of the cars roaring past. I have seen many shuttle launches on TV but would still love to see it in person. Unless I win the lottery in the next couple of months that isn't going to happen.

As someone who witnessed the launch of STS-110 from that very causeway, I can confirm that you get a better view on Youtube but you cannot FEEL the launch. When you're only a matter of a few miles away you genuinely do feel the wall of warm air hit you as the SRBs burst into life. The countdown can also be very tense - the launch was nearly scrubbed because one of Atlantis' onboard computers needed rebooting with only a few minutes of launch window left.

This has probably done nothing but rub it in people's faces.

True story. I guess you need to be there with a laptop and a modem for the best of both. Looked amazing though...