STS-117

Friday morning we set of for Kennedy Space Center. 2h 30 min later we arrived. Not alone! There was a really long line to get in. During the time waiting for the launch, that wasn't going on until 7:45 p.m. (we arrived at 12), we walked around at the center, trying to get away from the burning sun. And also trying out the new attraction, the Shuttle Launch Experience. All I can say is just WOW! We got to experience how it really feels to do a real launch.
Time got closer to the launch. We were far from alone waiting for it to happen. Suddenly the time was T -20, and then just 10 seconds left. The count down started, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Silence. We heard nothing. And then suddenly we saw something behind a three coming up. It looked like a fireball with a tail of smoke behind it. The rocket!
It was first after a few seconds that we heard the sound from it. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Hard to describe. Have a look at the pictures and try to imagine.
And if you realy want to see the launch, have a look at this video.