State Theatre to show shuttle launch

By Pat Stinson
Sun contributor

Area residents looking for one of the best NASA space shuttle launch viewing experiences outside of Florida’s Space Coast are invited to watch the Endeavour blast off at 8:56 a.m. Monday on the State Theatre’s huge screen, while listening to the rockets roar via a state-of-the-art sound system.

Doors open at 8 a.m. for the free, live broadcast. The excitement ramps up about 20 minutes prior to launch and remains at its peak until approximately 9:05, when the main engine cutoff (MECO) occurs and the shuttle achieves orbit. Attendees are welcome to stay for NASA’s extended live coverage until 12:30 p.m. NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Carolyn McKellar will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

Shuttle Pilot Greg Johnson, a Long Lake cottage owner with family in Traverse City and Empire, is one of the STS-134 mission crew (read Stinson’s feature story about Johnson in the Glen Arbor Sun), which also includes Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabriella “Gabby” Giffords, (D-Ariz.) who was critically wounded during a Jan. 8 shooting outside a Tucson grocery store. Giffords plans to attend Monday’s launch. Crew member Andrew Feustal, a mission specialist and geophysicist, was born and raised in Lake Orion, Michigan and has family residing in the state.

Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on May 18. The shuttle’s payload includes an Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer designed to detect cosmic particles – including anti-matter – which may lead to a better understanding of the origins of the Universe.

The State Theatre is located at 233 East Front Street in Traverse City. For theater information, call (231) 947-4800. Visit www.nasa.gov/shuttle for the latest updates to the shuttle’s launch schedule.