A nearly full moon sets as the space shuttle Discovery sits atop Launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Ross, a retired Air Force Colonel, engineer, and now retired astronaut also held the record for most number of spacewalks and spacewalking time by a U.S. astronaut until passed by International Space Station crew member Michael Lopez-Alegria.

As he details in his recently released book, “Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA’s Record-Setting Frequent Flyer,” none of his spaceflights or spacewalks ever felt routine. “I feel fortunate that I felt like a kid in a candy shop every time, even on my seventh flight,” he said when I spoke to him today via phone from his home in Houston. “I loved every aspect of it from launch to landing. I wanted to let out a whoop of glee when I stepped out for my first space walk, I was so excited to finally have the opportunity. But I thought they would think I had lost it, so I didn’t.”

I’ve long suspected that first-time astronauts don’t get much sleep, and it turns out I was right. When I asked him about his first night in space, apparently that full moon came in handy.

“I spent most of the entire first night looking out of the windows,” Ross said with the excitement of the memory seeping into his voice. “We were flying upside down so the payload bay and the windows on the aft flight deck were facing right at the ground. I took my sleep sack up to the flight deck and tied it off on the floor so I was floating, staring straight out. With the full moon, it casts so much light even in space, you can see parts of the dark side of the planet you wouldn’t normally see. Every 45 minutes you get a sunset and a sunrise, and the light and the heat on my face would wake me up each time. Each pass of the earth is at a slightly different angle, so I saw parts of the planet none of the other crew did because I stayed up to look out.”

Ross explained that on his first five flights, he never got more than five hours of sleep a night due to the adrenaline, the long schedule, and the sheer number of tasks that he had to think about completing. “You try and wind down your activity level, but I wasn’t really successful at that.”

As Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office, he was a critical member of the International Space Station team from the launch of the first component to the completion of the station. He’s been part of the preparation of every piece of hardware and crew assembly task.

“It was a great feeling to see the assembly finally complete. The most satisfying aspect was that we never had a hiccup in any assembly tasks. We tested everything on the ground first and found a lot of things that would have brought the station assembly process to a halt. I’m excited to see the station continue to produce science and demonstrate how longer duration space flight affect humans and how we can develop better systems to manage energy and expendables to allow for longer and longer missions.”

In that role, he was also part of preparing space shuttle crews at the astronaut crew quarters at Kennedy Space Center. As a veteran flier, he passed as many tips forward to first time flyers and space walkers as he could to make sure that they soaked up the moments and took a second to take a mental snapshot. “Once it’s all over, that’s all you’ve got.”

THIS WEEK IN SPACE:

Space Station Flies Past Full Moon (February 25, 2013): Tonight, when the full “Wolf Moon” rises in the sky, east coast viewers will also be able to see the space station streaking across the sky. To see when and where, check http://www.spaceweather.com/flybys and type in your zip code.

Watch Live Launch (March 1, 2013): SpaceX is targeting 10:10am ET this Friday, March 1^st to launch an unmanned resupply mission to the International Space Station. You can watch coverage of the launch on NASA TV at http://www.nasa.gov.

Full Moon Names: Learn more about the names and stories surrounding each full moon and see moon photos in National Geographic Science.

The order in which your escape route from the launch pad would occur (from left to right): 1) launch pad slide, 2) Rubber Room slide chute, 3) blast room entrance, 4) chairs, 5) spring loaded floor, 6) use of chemical air treatment, 7) exit the blast room, 8) tunnel away from launch pad, 9) exit station. Photo Credits: Jon Brack

All that is missing is the computer, the beeping, and a prompt to enter the code 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.

The dome-shaped survival room deep under Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida could be corking an electromagnetic build up as in the J.J. Abrams show “Lost,” or it could be the emergency egress chamber used during the Apollo era to protect anyone at the launch pad who could reach it from a full detonation of all three stages of a Saturn V rocket. It’s hard to tell.

Abandoned for over 40 years, one half expects to find the Dharma Initiative’s Desmond doing his laundry as you open the blast door and enter the complex, dubbed the “Rubber Room” for its padded entryway at the base of a 200-foot slide from the Zero Level of the launch pad base.

The blast room, now marked as a NASA artifact. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

The room consists of 20 large, heavy chairs surrounding a center cage where blankets and provisions were stored so that they would not fly all over the room when the blast occurred (or a convenient place to lock up the leader of the Others, Ben Linus, when you finally capture him on the island). The chairs are situated on a spring-loaded concrete floor to absorb any shockwave from above. Individuals were strapped in by a four-point, parachute-style safety belt.

There’s a toilet (with a bucket inside), and a place for burning chemicals to remove carbon dioxide and generate oxygen similar to those used as safety procedures in mines. Twenty individuals could survive for 24 to 48 hours before they were cleared to escape via the long tunnels leading away from the launch pad. There are loudspeakers and bells—switches that no longer turn anything on. The telephones and wiring have long been taken out and the entrance to the slide chute is filled in with concrete but the rest remains, untouched to the outside world.

Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

If NASA wasn’t trying to create the set of a TV show down here, they probably shouldn’t have installed such creepy lighting. The most unusual touch I noticed was the plastic curtains that could be drawn over the blast doors. It seems like an odd accessory—perhaps better suited for a psychological experiment at The Pearl station?

So imagine it is the year 1970 (conveniently enough, that same year the Dharma Initiative is also being founded) and a fully loaded Saturn V rocket is on the launch pad awaiting flight. A leak is detected and everyone is cleared from the pad. An emergency “red team” is called in to inspect the leak and assess the damage and repairs. After they arrive, they detect the situation is escalating and an explosion of the rocket is imminent. There’s no time to get to a minimum safe distance, so they jump down the heavily waxed slide and shoot out the other end, moving so fast that some of those who trained on the system broke their legs against the back wall a hundred feet away. They rush into the blast room and slam the door behind them, not knowing if they have minutes or hours.

After strapping themselves in, they sit, and they wait—for a possible 1-kiloton, nuclear-level explosion to occur above them.

Or for John Locke to open the hatch. It’s still uncertain which.

View a 360 Degree Tour of the Blast Room:

Panoramic Photo Credit: Jon Brack

Now, watch your Swan Station Orientation Movie: 

It’s hosted by James Burke of the BBC and not the Dharma Initiative’s Dr. Marvin Candle, but this takes you through the process and how the egress would have worked.

Video Credit: BBC

But bring a real spaceship to town and tow it through the streets? That’ll do it.

The space shuttle Endeavour began its journey to its eventual home at the California Science Center in the earliest hours of Friday, October 12th, but it never went faster than a 2 mph crawl and sometimes ground to a halt as workers guided it through narrow streets and coordinated crowds of onlookers. “Twenty-four hours to go from the airport to Inglewood? Sounds about right,” joked some locals in the crowd, even though that journey is less than a couple of miles.

Her first stop felt appropriate for LA, the parking lot of a shopping center. But on this day it was transformed into a street festival of kids, bikes, dogs, strollers, flags, and right in the middle…an actual space shuttle. People rushed around to get a look at her from all angles, the local charter school sold water and cookies. Add a funnel cake stand and some cotton candy and you would have had a space carnival.

That afternoon I walked down Manchester Avenue chatting with local residents as the shuttle approached its first major stop in front of Randy’s Donuts, a Los Angeles icon. People sat outside in lawn chairs in anticipation, not letting the fact that she might not be there until the next morning dampen their enthusiasm. No one mentioned the trees, or the traffic hassle, just pure joy at the possibility of catching a glimpse. The most common conversation starter was “did you see it when it flew over?” and almost always people remembered exactly where they were when she arrived a few weeks earlier and circled overhead.

The space shuttle Endeavour turns down Manchester Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, approaching the overpass for the 405 freeway. Here she had to change to a lighter transport to lessen the load on the bridge. Photo Credit: Jon Brack.

At sunset, she pulled down the street, and residents flocked to the sides of the freeway, pulling over their cars and scrambling up the embankment to get a better view and a quick photo. Endeavour crossed the 405 freeway overpass and arrived on the other side, where she remained over night, lit majestically for the crowds who continued to show up all through the night.

Crowds gather on the side of the 405 freeway in downtown Los Angeles to catch a glimpse of the shuttle. When she eventually crossed the overpass, police closed the highway to avoid onlookers from causing accidents. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

After crossing the 405 freeway, the shuttle comes to rest for the night in front of the Best Western on Manchester Ave. Photo Credit: Jon Brack

Crowds eagerly snap photos of the shuttle during her overnight hours in front of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, a popular landmark in the neighborhood. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

On Saturday, the crowds not lining the streets were waiting for Endeavour at the corner of Crenshaw Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. where a dance display choreographed by Debbie Allen awaited them, to be timed with the shuttle’s ninety-degree turn to face the final leg of her journey. The shuttle was delayed over six hours, and the dances happened without their planned backdrop.

But the crowds remained, and when the shuttle nosed into view just after sunset, towering above anything they expected, they literally screamed in excitement. People were genuinely surprised by her size and how, for lack of a better word, real she looked. “That’s a spaceship! In our backyard!” It was an emotional moment and there was an intense pride that’s difficult to put into words.

Crowds who had been waiting for hours for the shuttle to arrive got a treat when her tail and main engines swung over the crowd while making a ninety-degree turn onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Personally, I’m always happy when people are talking about and excited about space exploration. Throughout the day, everyone on the street knew something about the shuttle, even if it was completely incorrect (“did you know it FOUND the moon?”), but the best part was the curiosity to know more demonstrated by everyone.

Just like earlier this month when the Curiosity rover landed on Mars, I think the biggest winners of the moment are exploration and science. I hope Endeavour serves as a catalyst to inspire more exploration in the decades ahead.

Debbie Allen captured it perfectly while keeping the crowds warmed up during the Saturday delays. “We are giving this town the greatest gift, the gift of possibility. This shows that it is possible. And all of the kids in all of the neighborhoods in Los Angeles, I ask them, what will their next mission be?”

So, what’s your next mission?

4:27pm EST August 10

For a detailed account of the timeline of the search for the climbers, read Luke Barrington’s post on tomnod.com.

UPDATE

2:27pm EST July 28

The team at Tomnod has just alerted us that the bodies of Gil and Ben have been found. On their site, the team offers these words of thanks and consolation for all those who assisted in the search or felt close to the lost climbers:

“This tragic news brings our search to an end. We thank everyone who donated time, money, effort, thoughts and prayers. The coming days, weeks and years will be difficult and we remember the family and loved ones they left behind. Gil and Ben continue their adventure into the hereafter.”

Read the Washington Post’s in depth coverage on the discovery of the climbers.

ORIGINAL STORY

JULY 26

Two experienced U.S. climbers, Gil Weiss and Ben Horne, have gone missing in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in Peru. Their situation was reported and a search began after they were overdue to contact their families by two days.

The crowdsourcing team, Tomnod, led by National Geographic Emerging Explorer Albert Lin, is assisting in the search for the mountaineers by asking the public to examine satellite images of the region in the hope that some trace of them can be found. They are also accepting donations to raise money for an air search of the region.

Click here to assist Tomnod in this effort.

This search has personal meaning to the Tomnod team, as the missing climbers are friends of Lin.

For the full story on the missing climbers, visit the Washington Post’s in depth story on the situation.

It could have been all the episodes of Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica (the original), and Space 1999 I watched as a kid, or the memory I have of standing in our kitchen watching a lunar eclipse out the window while my father explained each step with an apple and an orange.

But in 1983, at the age of eight, I moved to the Fiji Islands with my family, and something took it to the next level. I saw brilliant stars and the Milky Way in a way I never had before. My father pointed out the first satellite I’d ever seen cruising across the night sky. There was no TV, so I read books like 2010 Space Odyssey and Contact.

That summer I was sitting on the floor of our house in Suva and an announcement came on the nightly radio news. The first American woman, Sally Ride, just flew in space.

I knew from that moment forward that I would also someday fly in space. Somehow, she made it possible.

She became synonymous with women’s achievements in space and science and with my own path to making that possible. When I went to college and struggled between my love for science and my love for communicating, I chose English Literature as my major all the while thinking, “Sally Ride got a degree in English, it still means I can be an astronaut, right?”

Two years ago, I took my first step and flew in zero gravity aboard the ZeroG plane. As my hair floated in a halo around my face, I thought of Sally Ride and those first images of her on the shuttle.

I admired how she was willing to hold NASA accountable to the highest standards of conduct, participating in both the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia review boards. Her dedication to space education, but particularly encouraging young girls to follow that path, made her an inspiration even after a relatively short career with NASA.

Sadly, I never got to meet her. Given how young she was, I always thought there would be time. But she will continue to inspire others, and I know I will think of her when I eventually make it into orbit.

Earlier this week Walter “Buddy” McKenzie, an Orbiter Operations Manager with United Space Alliance, took us on a tour of Discovery and Atlantis in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). He considers today to be Discovery’s final day, saying, “It’s like a eulogy. Once we power her down, you’ve drained the life out of her.” Then he became quiet for a moment, overcome with the emotion of that statement.

Every employee we encountered at Kennedy Space Center throughout the week became overwhelmed with emotion and pride when discussing the end of the shuttle program and their role in making history as part of this team. It was not about the all-too-present reality of possibly losing their jobs, but rather sheer sadness at seeing these amazing ships, each with their own personalities, no longer having life left in them.

One employee servicing a crane above the then open cargo bay of Discovery said, “Astronauts crawled through that airlock and into this bay, and this was their work area in space. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.” He paused for a moment and added quietly, “These are our babies, it’s been an honor to work on them.”

Employees service the lifts above space shuttle Discovery's cargo bay in the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: Jon Brack

On December 16, the massive payload bay doors closed over an empty cargo hold that once held the Hubble Space Telescope on its ride to space. To latch and secure the doors completely, Discovery had to be powered up, a process far more complicated than plugging her in or turning a key. The shuttle’s power comes from fuel cells, and as computers come online, an intricate system of radiators cools the electronics just as they would in space. In the forward crew module, a circulating water system does the work. Elsewhere and away from the astronauts, the more hazardous but efficient freon is used. When powered down, those and all other remaining liquids are drained from her systems.

Photo Credit: NASA

There was a time not long ago that space shuttle orbiters were never left alone. A dedicated crew of hundreds in their white “bunny suit” clean-room uniforms worked around the clock in three shifts processing the spacecraft from its previous journey and preparing it for another payload of cargo and astronauts.

With the landing of Atlantis on STS-135 in July, the shuttle program ended. Current preparations are no longer for spaceflight but only to ready the orbiters for display at a select few museums around the country. Discovery, the oldest of the three remaining orbiters, is destined for the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum in a Washington, D.C., suburb, where she will be seen by millions of visitors in hopes that a few are inspired to invent the future generations of manned space flight.

The Smithsonian has decided to display Discovery sitting on the floor of the hanger as if she had just returned from space, stopped on the runway and cooling from the massive heat that reentry generates. This positioning means her massive payload bay doors are closed, likely never to be opened again. The doors are not engineered to withstand gravity, only functioning normally in the zero gravity of space, where their carbon fiber construction doesn’t require extensive support to operate.

Only a small media presence was expected to document the quiet end of an era in Orbiter Processing Facility-1. No protective suits and masks are required these days—just booties on your shoes to keep dirt and dust under control. At the three o’clock shift change, when the afternoon crew would have arrived during the shuttles’ working days, no one comes. They were laid off months ago. Discovery will wait quietly at Kennedy Space Center for the upcoming trip to the Smithsonian and an eternity in posterity.

– Jon Brack and Susan Poulton

But as the shuttle program draws to a close, I’m left to reflect on all the amazing moments I’ve been lucky enough to witness and the amazing people I’ve met along the way. In review, here are my top six moments from six years of shuttle launch experiences.

Enjoy. I certainly did.

1. First Launch

Nothing beats your very first launch. Mine was STS-114 the Return to Flight launch in July, 2005. Discovery was my first shuttle, and I always held a special place in my heart for her after that. I had been waiting to experience a shuttle launch my entire life, and it did not disappoint. I was taken by surprise at how the shockwave moved through your body, shaking you from the inside and rattling every building and object. Then you realize there are seven crew members riding that shockwave and the experience becomes very emotional. Of course, I cried and without realizing it, my hands went over my mouth, tears streaming down my face. When I looked down moments after launch, I had four local news cameras trained on me and I had the pleasure of being the Orlando 11 o’clock news “oh my god” shot on almost every station.

The space shuttle Discovery lifts off on the STS-114 Return to Flight mission on July 26, 2005. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

2. Night Launch

Ok, if anything is going to beat your first launch, it’s your first night launch (I’ve been lucky enough to see four). And if anything is going to beat THAT, it’s seeing a night launch from the roof of the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building), the largest single story building in the world. When Endeavour launched on mission STS-130 in February of 2010, the sky literally turned from night to day, and the shockwave shook the entire building beneath my feet. It felt like I was watching the launch from an other-worldly vantage point. The air was so crisp and cold, a rarity for Florida, that you could see the shuttle all the way into space, until the main engine cut off eight minutes later, becoming a small glowing dot that wavered in brightness and then faded to a deep red and disappeared over the horizon.

A spectacular night launch of the space shuttle Endeavour on February 8, 2010 as seen from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Endeavour lifts off on March 11, 2008 on a clear and still night. This was my first night launch, and remains my best night launch photo I've ever taken. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

A nearly full moon rises behind the space shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad moments before lift off on November 14, 2008. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

3. Crew Moments

Very few shuttle events can beat the emotion of launch, but the one that comes close is crew walkout. About four hours before launch, photographers are taken to the Operations & Checkout Building to see the crew off as they board the astrovan and head to the launch pad. NASA has its many traditions, and this is no exception. Crews have been walking out of this exact door since the Apollo days in the mid-1960s. My favorite part of this experience is that many of the trainers and staff who worked with the astronauts are in the crowd, and the crew will catch a glimpse of someone they recognize and a smile, a wave, or a shout rings out. The look on their faces is pure joy, especially the first time flyers. I’ve come to love photographing those expressions, each saying “I’m about to go into space!” The only contrast was the look that crossed Commander Chris Ferguson’s face as he walked out of the doorway for the final shuttle launch, STS-135. A little sad, a little contemplative, it was fleeting and soon gave way to the usual smiles and waves.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams throws a wave to a familiar face as the crew of STS-118 boards the astrovan for the trip to the launch pad on August 8, 2007. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Astronaut Mike Massimino recognizes a face in the crowd as he departs the Operations & Checkout Building for the launch pad on May 11, 2009. The crew was bound for the Hubble Space Telescope on space shuttle Atlantis. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Commander Chris Ferguson has a reflective expression as he leads the final space shuttle crew out of the Operations & Checkout Building to depart for the launch of STS- 135, the final space shuttle mission. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Once at crew walk out, I looked down and saw one of the ‘perks’ of being on the astronaut crew: designated parking.

Reserved parking...for the astronauts. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

4. Shuttle Up Close

The night before a launch, photographers are given the opportunity to go over to the launch pad to photograph the shuttle during RSS Rollback (RSS stands for Rotating Service Structure). The shuttle is unveiled from behind the sarcophagus-like metal gantry that protects it for weeks on the launch pad. This offers a rare and up close look at the shuttle on the launch pad, and it’s a beautiful sight, worth every mosquito bite you endure from standing in the swampy land, waiting. One special moment involved our van getting stuck in the new causeway gravel, requiring us to drive up and over the launch pad, directly under the shuttle Discovery awaiting launch for, STS-131. I furiously snapped photos closer than I’d ever been and then said farewell to the shuttle that started it all for me.

Discovery stands on the launch pad the day before launch of STS-131 on April 5, 2010. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

A rare treat to get so close. Discovery stands magestically on the launch pad. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Discovery awaits launch on the pad. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Space Shuttle Discovery at sunrise hours after she rolls out to the launch pad for the final time. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

A quiet sunset the evening before launch of Atlantis on May 11, 2009. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

5. Clouds and Shadows

Very few people know that the best light show at a space shuttle launch actually occurs anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours after the shuttle has lifted off. Depending on the time of day, the shadows that form through the exhaust plume can be mesmerizing, and more than once, artificial noctilucent clouds (high-altitude “glowing” clouds) formed over the launch site.

An artificially created noctilucent cloud forms over the Kennedy Space Center after the June 8, 2007 launch of Atlantis. The glowing streams are created when sunlight shines through the water vapor exhaust of the space shuttle at a high altitude. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

A brilliant noctilucent cloud forms over the launch pad after the launch of Discovery on STS-131 in early 2010. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

Shadows appear after the late afternoon launch of Atlantis on June 8, 2007. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

The space shuttle Endeavour disappears into the clouds after launch, lighting the night sky from above. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

6. Last Launch

The last launch, for STS-135, was a daze. Tense to the last minute with horrible weather, a hold at 31 seconds, it still doesn’t feel like it really happened and it’s really over. I had photographed the shuttle so many times, I just couldn’t think about how to make this last one special until I saw an artist next to the flagpole getting ready to paint through the launch. He provided me with a wonderful backdrop to frame the final lift off, and also provided a comforting hug when the emotion of the moment overtook me and I realized I had felt the final shuttle launch shockwave move through me. Farewell, Atlantis.

A painter speed paints the launch of Atlantis on STS 135, the 135th and final space shuttle mission. Photo Credit: Susan Poulton

For more amazing space shuttle photos, visit National Geographic News: Most Unforgettable Space Shuttle Images gallery.

I spent most of the drive to the airport thinking about the person whose job it was to fix that computer issue—the ultimate IT help desk situation (or deodorant commercial) with the entire world and six astronauts waiting for you to reboot whatever system needed rebooting with only moments to spare. Whoever it was, I hope their range safety buddies took them out to celebrate later.

It hasn’t quite hit me yet that I just witnessed Discovery’s last flight and the next time I see her will be in a museum quietly living out the rest of her days as a token of inspiration for future generations. When I came to Kennedy Space Center for my first launch in 2005, I had been waiting my entire life to see a space shuttle lift off. I was, to say the least, a tad emotional. After the faint contrails of the exhaust plume of STS-114 disappeared, I finally lowered my head, hands over my mouth, tears streaming down my face. It was at that moment I noticed the four or five local camera crews trained on me, capturing the classic “oh my god” look they wait for in first time launch observers. I must have been on a dozen nightly news runs in the local Orlando area. What can I say…I’m a professional.

In the launches since then, it’s been more about the logistics of each experience so that photographing 16 launches doesn’t become routine. When you’re at the press site, there’s a frenzy of jockeying for the best camera positions and a ton of lenses that look like the Hubble telescope. Everyone is looking for the unique shot, the one they haven’t seen in the previous hundred launches. It’s hard not to get caught up in it.

But today, as soon as the countdown resumed, I shot only a few frames right at ignition then set the camera down and let the launch shock wave pass through me. I watched it soar into the air, through only the lens of excitement and felt the tears flowing once again. Thankfully, this time the camera crews were looking in another direction.

As they say in the space business, God speed Discovery, and enjoy every second of your final mission.

—Image Credit: Susan Poulton

—Susan Poulton works for National Geographic Digital Media and is a self-proclaimed space geek. Since graduating from Space Camp in 1987, she’s been fascinated by all things space and can’t resist sharing this passion with others. A veteran of 15 launches (and over 46 launch attempts), she has attempted to see every space shuttle launch since STS-114 in 2005.

It was an on time walk out from the crew quarters to the “AstroVan” for the six astronauts. They exited the building to a massive crowd of press and supportive family and friends cheering them on. A last minute crew change to replace injured astronaut Tim Kopra means that Steve Bowan will be in one of the Mission Specialist spots for this flight.

—Image Credit: Susan Poulton

—Image Credit: Susan Poulton

—Susan Poulton works for National Geographic Digital Media and is a self-proclaimed space geek. Since graduating from Space Camp in 1987, she’s been fascinated by all things space and can’t resist sharing this passion with others. A veteran of 15 launches (and over 46 launch attempts), she has attempted to see every space shuttle launch since STS-114 in 2005.