Great experience!

I am from México and I'd like to see it one day.

Congratulations. =)

I forgot to mention about a couple of other interesting aspects of a shuttle launch. The first happens on the pad at liftoff. The three main engines light at about T-8 seconds. Since the nozzles are at an angle, the thrust actually bends the vehicle in the direction of the thrust. This is called the "Shuttle Twang." The Shuttle is held down by four explosive bolts on each of the solid rocket boosters. If you can find a close-up launch video, you can see the twang clearly at the tip of the external tank. It deflects about 36". Ignition of the solids and liftoff is timed when the tip of the tank is coming back through vertical. Then, at liftoff, since the liquid engines are at an angle, they cause a slight horizontal trajectory of the vehicle. The best way to see this effect is to watch a launch video and compare the flight path of the vehicle and the fixed service structure (i.e.: "gantry"). You can clearly see the vehicle "walking" horizontally as it starts its ascent.

You won't see the twang and the walking from anywhere in the public areas. But, you can see the early stages of the ascent trajectory. For about 30 seconds, the Shuttle ascends vertically in lofted trajectory. This is designed to give the pilots enough altitude in order to do a early ascent abort (theoretically). It's also to allow the vehicle to be tracked by radars and to be seen by the command destruct transmitter antennas. After the loft is completed, the Shuttle does a roll maneuver and actually pitches down to gain airspeed. Then, the crew rides "heads down" into orbit.

...only 5 more times to watch all of this...

I wonder if NASA give out frequent flyer points? And are they a part of OneWorld or *A? :D

No, absolutely not. They doesn't usually the frequent fliers program. I would agreeable with you this. Maybe someday in the future if they are joins into the alliance.

Also, I would loves to be in the space. I want to leave from Earth. I want to be in orbit. I can see explorer more planet & the moon. Do you know how much costly is that? I want go on the space shuttle to leave from the Earth.

I know that the Russians will fly space tourists to the ISS via their Soyuz spacecraft. I believe the cost is about USD $50,000. You have to go through some level of training. The biggest constraint is that you can't be taller than about 5'6" and fit into a Soyuz spacecraft.

I'm 6' 0" tall and I tried to fit into a Soyuz mock-up at Energia Corporation in Russia several years ago. If my butt was in the seat, my feet were cramped against the instrument panel. If my feet were on the floor, I was about 18" out the hatch. So, I'm not a candidate for travel to the ISS.

If you're "vertically challenged" and have the bucks, I'm confident the Russians would be willing to talk to you.

Or $25,000,000.

SpaceShipOne (X Prize winner), or Virgin Galactic are aiming to bring a version (60+ miles) to tourists for under something in the 20K range.

When we lived in So. Cal the shuttle was coming in to Edwards over a holiday weekend. Memorial Day, I think. It came in over my left shoulder and we could hear them talking over the scanner. There were scads of people in the desert and one large RV had a God Bless America banner. At one end of the desert people started to sing God Bless America and it rolled right across the land. I still get goose bumps when I think about it. Absolutely amazing and I would love to see a launch one of these days.

Here's hoping they fund the program, we've gotten so many benefits from it already.

STS-129 video highlights as compiled by the SE&I imagery team here at JSC from all of the ground, air, ET and SRB assets.

http://www.vimeo.com/7852885

It doesn't necessarily have to be a Shuttle to be impressive. Several years ago I watched an Atlas rocket launch at 2 am from the parking lot of my hotel in Melbourne (FL). Even the smaller rocket lights up the sky like the dawn.

Then, a few years later, I was at a conference on Kiawah Island, SC. We had just commenced a "social hour" facing the beach, right at dusk. The sky was already deep blue in the east, and the minimal clouds were pink in the west. Then we saw a vertical cloud in the south, spotlit by the sun which had just set. And it (the cloud) was getting taller, fast. It was frankly a little disconcerting until I recalled having heard the news broadcast earlier in the day that had mentioned plans for a shuttle launch. Then it became one of those amazing moments of grandeur and beauty that you never forget.

As the shuttle climbed into the dark sky we could just make out a tiny flame at the top of the cloud. From our distant vantage point, we got a good impression of how quickly it starts to make its way across the Atlantic. It still amazes me how clear a view we had, nearly 300 miles away.