Jetrader - May/June 2008 - (Page 18)

Meanwhile, East of Orlando A firsthand account of the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour Words and launch photos by Bert van Leeuwen D Photo courtesy of NASA espite concerns about the future of the commercial jet market, the ISTAT 25th Annual Conference was another huge success. Apart from excellent presentations, the usual networking and an exciting gala dinner annex auction, this year’s conference will mostly be remembered for its fantastic ﬁreworks. The opening night already provided a spectacular show from the lawn of the hotel for all delegates to see. However, for those interested, Monday night (or rather Tuesday morning) offered even more “ﬁre in the sky.” As another illustration of how important ISTAT has become, NASA agreed to only launch Space Shuttle Endeavour from nearby Kennedy Space Center (KCS) after Club ISTAT, so everybody interested (many) and awake (not that many) could still drive over. For those who didn’t make it, DVB Bank’s Bert van Leeuwen drove to Kennedy Space Center to offer Jetrader’s readers an eyewitness report of the launch of STS-123, the 25th mission to the International Space Station. Launch time was Tuesday March 11 at 2:28 a.m., on board a US/Japanese crew. Up Close and Personal Now, what is it like to experience a shuttle launch and—if you are not invited to the VIP site by NASA—where can you see it? KSC is about an hour’s drive east of Orlando. Its visitor complex is open almost all year and offers amongst others an IMAX theatre, a simulated shuttle launch, a rocket garden and a very interesting bus tour to the Saturn V Center. The KSC Visitor Complex is one place where one can watch a launch, but launch tickets must be bought in advance (www.kennedyspacecenter.com). With the tickets comes a big placard for your car, this is essential to pass security and enter KSC. Whereas the visitor complex offers lots of pre-launch entertainment, several restaurants and a 18 The ofﬁcial publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading ication http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Jetrader - May/June 2008

Jetrader - May/June 2008 A Message From the President Contents Calendar/News ISTAT's 25th Annual Conference Wrap Up Conference Sponsors and Golf Tournament Winners Honoring Joe Sutter Meanwhile, East of Orlando... Prague Preview CEO Succession Planning Aircraft Appraisals From the ISTAT Foundation Aviation History

Jetrader - May/June 2008

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