One of the most glorious things about living in central Florida is that we get to watch the space shuttle lift off into space on a semi-regular basis. Merritt Island, where WonderBrains resides, is also home to Cape Canaveral - in fact, our warehouse is about 6 miles south of the Kennedy Center Visitor Complex. So we can watch every shuttle launch from work or our homes.

Endeavour launches August 8 - Photo Courtesy of NASA

It’s a wonderful experience for us, but truly amazing for our children. On the one hand, they probably see it as very commonplace, even thought it’s exciting for them. However, it amazes me to think that, when I was their age, the shuttle program didn’t even exist…and now it’s such an integral part of our lives. The Visitor Center is a truly entertaining and educational visit. For those of you planning a trip to the area in the near future, I highly recommend a tour; while Disney World is fantastic, nothing beats the learning experiences that can be found at the Cape.

Tonight the shuttle Endeavour was launched at 6:36pm. We’d been waiting all day, but the time sneaked up on us, and we were still inside when we heard the familiar rumble. By the time the sound reaches us here at home, the shuttle is already close to being out of view, so we dashed out the door as quickly as we could. The plume of smoke was still intact, having not yet been blown by the winds, and the pinpoint of light at the end of the main engines was still visible. We’d missed seeing the solid rocket boosters separate and fall back to earth, something we usually enjoy. They are tiny white dots from this distance, but discernable on a clear day.

The effects of the shuttle program on life around here is plainly seen. Lots of people have the license plate that commemorates the Challenger and Columbia shuttles and missions. Traffic on launch days, especially on the area bridges, is insanely slow. And in the weeks preceding the launch, a number of schoolmates’ mothers, as well as my daughter’s teacher, become “shuttle widows”, as their husbands who work at the Cape pull extra hours to make sure everything runs smoothly and safely.

This is honestly the biggest perk of living and working on the Space Coast.