We did it!! We saw the Space Shuttle Discovery blast off this morning right on time at 6:21am eastern time. Last night we decided to leave at our original time so we layed down for a nap about 8pm, got up at 9:30pm and headed for the Space Coast. Arrived in Titusville about 11:30pm and the Clarion Inn still had plenty of parking spaces available so we nabbed one. There was a huge grassy area at the edge of the water called the Indian River. The Indian River is the waterway between Titusville and Cape Canaveral. We had a clear view of the launch platform but the shuttle was on the other side of the platform so we weren't able to view it. We set up our chairs about midnight and at 1am went to take a nap in the truck for a couple hours. At 3am we went back out to our chairs and the guy next to us had his laptop connected to NASA TV. It was showing the preparations going on at the launch platform and the guy was nice enough to set his laptop where we could see it too. We got to watch the astronauts being strapped in and prepared right in the nose of the shuttle. It was like being there! The weather was co-operating, clear, cool and little wind. Right from the start, the launch looked like a go. It was a bit cold and boring at times but it went by fast. Before I knew it, it was 6:04am and the space station was traveling across the sky overhead. It was a big bright dot and took about 5 minutes to cross the sky. At that point we were hearing the countdown and it was fast from there. We saw a bright flash low on the platform and then the bright long shape of the shuttle rising into the sky. Lots of people around us were whoo-hooing but Ed and I were both overcome and tears were streaming down our faces. It is truly an amazing sight and the Discovery was off on its chase to catch up to the space station! After a 12 second delay the roar finally reached our ears and at that point I could holler too! There was a lot of camaraderie amongst the viewers and everyone was trading their experiences. Lots of people go to as many launchings as they can make and go back again or hang around if there are delays or cancels. This was a many years dream of mine to see a launch and catching it this trip was just a chance thing. I had the distinction this morning of being the only person in our little area to have seen both a launch and a landing. I saw the Columbia land on July 4 in the mid-80s at Edwards Air Force Base and have never forgotten that day. The shuttle program is almost at an end but it captured my heart and my imagination and I surely hope that we don't lose track of our curiousity about space and what's out there......I want to know!