khaosworks | Witness to history (Reply)

So we (

playingpossum and I) settle down in front of the TV and watch CNN hoping that they'll get some coverage of SpaceShipOne's launch. And they do - a little prelim reporting by Miles O'Brien from the Mojave launch site. Then at 9.30 p.m. SGT (9.30 a.m. EST), the news ends and they switch to... get ready...

Living Golf.

Fucking. Living. Golf.

Not the most significant development in space exploration in the last three decades. No. They switch to Living. Piece. Of. Shit. Golf.

So I rush over to call up MSNBC.com in a panic. O'Brien said that they were going to launch at 9.30... we're going to miss it! Crap! The webcast doesn't seem to be working! Switch over to NASA TV. Crap! Some educational program going on about stargazing!

So I surf to CNN.com and yes! They have coverage, but... as is CNN's wont, you have to fucking sign up for a subscription package. Okay, don't panic - I'll just sign up for the free SuperPass account and cancel it later.

Damn. Damn. Hurry up. Process, damn you. Yes, I already have an account. Here's my password. Yes, I want the fershlugineer package. What do you mean my credit card doesn't work? Crap. It's the old one. Update, update. Approve! Approve! Approve... RadioPass? Vas ist das RadioPass? I wanted SuperPass!

Crap. Crap. Go back to main page. Find SuperPass. Make sure this time - add it on, yes. Great! Rush back to CNN.com. Click on live coverage. RealPlayer fires up, as does a setup screen. Set up? What set up? Oh for Pete's sake, yes I'm already registered! Agh! Yes!

Finally. And it comes on just as we see White Knight taxi down the runway and take off. All that grief for 30 seconds, but it doesn't matter. We see it. It's beautiful. It flies up, heading for 47,000 feet and the edge of space. It dwindles in the background as the commentator says it'll take an hour.

There's an interview with Bert Rutan, and when that's over, there's dead air for a while... and then they start this disco music. I shit you not. They're playing "Boogie Wonderland" as I see White Knight and the Alpha Jet climb higher and higher. I know I'm not on acid, so this must be real. I mean, Christ, they could have at least played "The Right Stuff."

I tell

playingpossum who's gone back to her room. She comes out to see because she doesn't believe me. "Why would I make up something like this?" I cry. When historians write the book on this years from now, will this be something they will mention? Should they?

"Boogie Wonderland" is replaced by "The Magnificent Seven" and then some other disco crap I can't identify. Now we've lost sight of White Knight entirely, but they've stopped the music and started talking again, thank God, about the future of commercial space travel. Edwards Air Force base apparently will be feeding radar data to the CNN crew, but if they intend to let the viewers see that, we don't know.

And now we wait for White Knight to reach the right altitude, and for SpaceShipOne and Mike Melvill to accomplish the mission they've set for themselves today.

God speed, guys. God speed.