Shuttle lands safely, sets off sonic booms

 

[AP photo]

The Space shuttle Endeavour knocked on our door last night -- at least, that's what it sounded like. Just look at all the people who commented below. 

   Here's what happened: Cloudy weather prevented the shuttle from landing at 7:05 p.m. as originally scheduled, so the astronauts flew around Earth one more time. That only takes about 90 minutes when you're orbiting the planet.

  The weather cleared up, and Endeavour descended, this time on a new flight path that crossed over Florida, very near Tampa Bay. Because this flight path brought the shuttle so much closer to us in the Tampa Bay area, the sonic booms were louder.

   Like other supersonic aircraft, the nose of the space shuttle compresses air as it streaks through the atmosphere, creating a shock wave that spreads out like waves spreading from the bow of a ship. A similar shock wave spreads out from the tail of the shuttle.

   We hear this vibrating air as sound. And last night, many of us heard it twice. The first sonic boom was the sound waves spreading off the nose, and the second boom a half-second later was the waves spreading off the tail. Endeavour is 122 feet long. On a smaller supersonic aircraft, the two waves are so close together it sounds like one boom.

   Tom Hipp of St. Pete Beach not only heard the shuttle, he saw it. A space enthusiast, he monitored NASA's changing plans and stood outside his home about the time he figured Endeavour would be passing nearby.

   "It was just a pinpoint bright light that appeared about 30 degrees above the western horizon," said Hipp, 68, a retired communications engineer. He watched for about two minutes as it crossed the sky heading east.

   He went back inside to watch the landing on television. And then he heard it. "The sonic booms came about five minutes after it passed over," Hipp said.

   Anyone else out there see the shuttle?

   -- Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

  Click here to read the Associated Press report.

Comments

[Sue]

Scared the heck outta me! I have been here about 10 years and never heard that before. I thought someone was throwing something huge at my house. Too funny.

[frankie rip]

I thought it was a home invasion.
the garage door shook. Living in safety harbor 20+ years so much has changed Thank God it was the shuttle
and not a thug breaking in.

[Vickie in St.Pete]

YES!! We KNEW it was the Shuttle after we turned on Bay News 9 and saw the live landing...though I have to admit the boom and reverb gave us a bit of a fright as well...

[Trunk]

Got my attention! Wow! I've heard sonic booms before, but nothing like this. Thought the roof had fallen in.

[FernLake]

Here in Palm Harbor we heard and felt what we thought was an explosion some where - WOW

[linda]

I was in bed with my husband needless to say "the bed shook" first I thought my husband was getting extra friskie.
It turned out to be the space shuttle
it was the best landing ever!!!!

[Carl]

We just all turned and said "shuttle's back".

[Angela]

Yep!!! I heard it! It sounded like someone was shutting the door to our gargage.

[Jazmeen]

We live in a condo and heard a huge thud and thought it was the loud neigbors below us throwing something extremely hard. Their dog began to bark. We returned to our movie and a couple of minutes later, we realized, "Oh the shuttle!" and we watched it land.

[Ari]

I live in St. Pete and thought it was another gun shot...

[Scott]

Anyone see it? I tried... lol to Ari..

[Caroline]

yes we heard it..i thought it was a car hitting a house...

[Lori]

Scared me and my dogs!! They came flying in the house barking and talking to all of the neighbors' dogs!! Glad I heard this might happen on my way home from work! For an instant, though, I did think a car hit a neighbor's house. Welcome Home, Endeavour!!

[Tracy]

LOL...I am glad to read this. I thought someone was on my house and fell. Went outside to check and everything. Then my mom, who lives across town, said she experienced the same thing. Whew!

[stephanie]

same thing here.. thought it was the loud neighbors. my sliding door and windows rattled and shook, loud thud/bang. awesome!!! hope it happens again!

[bird]

I heard and felt it here in New Port Richey. At first I thought "what the heck" and then "THE SHUTTLE IS LANDING" and rushed to turn on TV. Watched it land live. Love it.

[Susan]

Yea we heard it. My puppy went nuts trying to figure out what the heck it was!! lol....

[fe]

Hanging out on the deck at Palm Pavilion we heard the sonic boom.

[Matt]

That's funny. I heard it earlier this evening but, no one else in my house did so I thought I was crazy. Didn't realize it was the Shuttle till I just read this story!!! That's cool!!!

[CRO]

I was grilling in the back yard. I heard it and wondered if there was a fireworks display going on. Then I remembered the shuttle was landing tonight at 8:30...so I looked at the clock and knew it was them. Very neat!!

[gil]

I was half dozing in sofa and thought i heard a typical thunder boom, then realized it was a clear night, remembered the shuttle landing, then a few minutes later saw the shuttle land on tv, my son Jason was upset he didn't "hear" the boom, though i think he did, just was not paying attention to the sound, i told him, next time, there'll be more.

[Cate]

Wow! - so glad I read this here - was about to send you some photos of the last day of Spring Training here in Clearwater and all of a sudden I heard this loud bang - windows shook - dogs went wild - I guess Spring Training ended with a bang!

i ive in cali and i heard it here too
i was eating a egg mcmuffin with diet coke

[Georg]

Oh Linda!

The best landing ever, huh? Isn't it great when nature and man cooperate so well together?

[bulletinizer]

Wow, the Space Shuttle's sonic-blast pounded the roof on my house and sent a shutter through the rafters that jarred my lazy-boy recliner upright and spilled my drink. The cars hood rattled under Endeavours echo, setting the alarm into screech mode. The space boom also blasted through the pool cage and slammed the waters surface sending shock waves spilling over the edge. Oh yeah, and I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[MIKE]

WAS WATCHING TV WITH MY WIFE & THE DOG BARKED &
MY WIFE SAID ."WHAT WAS THAT?" SOUNDED LIKE SOMEONE SET OFF A MORTER IN OUT YARD!!!!! & FOUND OUT AT 11 PM THAT IT WAS THE SHUTTLE !!!! DA!!!!! GLADE TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike]

I was watching a movie in my home when suddenly I heard a loud concussive boom come from the window, which is in the direction of downtown. I jumped and half expected to turn around and see that World War III had erupted in a mushroom cloud. Then I remembered the shuttle. I remember there being two booms, though, from when I was in Orlando.

[Olivia]

It shook the house! I thought something fell on the roof, but saw nothing when I went outside. My neighbors were all outside, too and we all wondered what that could have been. When I went back in, my 4 year old was awake, spooked by the noise and he sat on my lap while I checked online. We were both excited to learn that it was the shuttle! He went back to bed with a big smile.

[Pasco Mom]

I did not hear it here in NPR.
Geesh...so much for awareness!
lol

it scared me,my trailer shook,& i thought a gun went off

[Angela]

I live in the Orlando area so I hear the sonic boom all the time. However, tonight it was much louder than it normal is.

i was talking 2 my granddaughter in ohio when this loud noise went off i told her it sounded like a gun shot but then a couple minutes later i saw on the tv that the shuttle was landing & i told her then it was probably a sonic boom

[Bernie D.]

We both ran for the front door to see if there were sirens or what. Then we looked at each other and said "Y'know, I bet that was the shuttle landing." I have new appreciation for my Mom's stories of when Super-Sonic flight was common and the dishes would rattle in the cabinets several times a day!

[Wiseguy]

It was awsome. I thought someone fell out of airplane on to my roof. I went out side and was looking around. My 87 year old neighbor came out and told me what it was. How embarassing!

[Anderson]

I was watching Law and Order and right when they were in the court room on TV I heard the Sonic Boom Jumped a foot off the bed and went running through the house to see if anyone was trying to break into my house. Then I remembered it was the Shuttle coming back. OH BOY OH BOY

[Beth]

My son was leaving in the car at the same time and I thought he hit my house. Scared the heck out of me.

[Anne]

What a great sound! God Bless America!

[Gwyn]

I was watching Ghost Stories on SCIFI channel, when I heard the loud boom. I was freaked out for a second, then remembered the shuttle was suppose to land last night, and went back to watching my show. I thought a big ghost was going to get me, just kidding.

[John]

I thought one of our kids or a piece of furniture slammed into a wall, and my wife thought something landed on the roof. My 5-year-old daughter hid under the covers in bed as we ran through the house, checking for burglars or hurt children.

Funny, I was just talking to my wife yesterday about why the Concorde didn't become more popular and eventually stopped flying.

Thought it was my son fooling around upstairs and then I remembered it was the shuttle.

[Don]

It was pretty loud down here in Venice. It rattled our pool cage and our cats came flying off the lanai into the house with their tails blown up.

[Stina]

THAT'S what that was!!!

[Victoria]

My boyfriend was cooking me dinner and I thought the propane gas grill blew up!!!

[Misty]

I was ready for it! My sister called me right after it hit and said that was the best thing she has heard! That was her first time hearing a sonic boom from the shuttle!! Space and space travel is so awesome!!!

[T]

My whole house rattled! My dog and I both jumped. Then we ventured outside with most of our neighbors, all asking "what was THAT?" I called friends nearby to find out if they heard the "explosion," which is when I was told "Yes, that would be the sonic boom...the shuttle's landing!" SO COOL!

[Luis]

I heard it and ran outside thinking it was an explosion near my house. I didn't even know what it was till this morning. Shame that I didn't get to see the ship...

[Lin]

Yeah, I heard the two booms and thought there had been an explosion. I called a friend a few doors away who said she thought it was an explosion until her husband remembered the shuttle was coming in. Then we all wished we had been down at the Bay a few blocks away and could have seen it coming in.

[Joe]

I was outside facing the direction they came from and it was truly amazing. My wife came outside to check if I was OK. She was the one who figured out what it was. I figured it was Macdill fighters. Shook the soil!

[Rex]

Yes we heard it - twice.

We thought it was another yankee unloading the moving van. Twice.

Please move back.

[moorphy]

LOL! NOW I know what that noise was. I heard a big bang, as if someone drove into my garage or some transformer explosion. I went outside to see if someone was breaking in, or if the neighbors noticed (Gulfport Marina District) but no one was outside except me.

I had forgotten it until now.

Great information.

[Ryan]

I thought it was the Aliens again.

[Kristin]

Sounded and felt like a truck hit the house! Felt a similar earthquake once in Portland, Oregon. What stunned me the most is how nonplussed I was at the time! Can't be surprised anymore!

[MARK]

BUNCH OF SCARY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

[brandan]

i didn't hear it or feel it and i live near it.

wow i feel stupid.

i'm still hungry

[Maureen]

It's been years since the Shuttle passed over this area. The sonic booms were wonderful.
God bless America!

[Nancy]

I was home alone with my two young sons. We had an open house at the school so they were up way past their bed time. As I was getting them into their PJ's we heard the boom. It took us all for a huge surprise! My older son fell off the bed and I was positive some big SUV was going to be sitting in my living room! We went to check no SUV in living room so we went outside. There were two of my neighbors out and thankfully one knew just what it was. I was releived and once my boys knew it was a "rocket ship" they thought it was way cool! They woke up talking about it and "can't wait for it to happen again!" As for me...thats enough sonic booms to last my lifetime!

[benz]

My parents thought the cat ran into the sliding glass door.

[Zander]

Linda - too, tooooo funny!! :)

[The King]

I thought it was anothr tornado ready to pick up my trailer. I'm such a fat blob, i didn't even get up to go see what it was. I just kept on eating my ice cream and doughnuts, playing with myself, watching Cris Simms highlights. It was a great night!

[Lynne from Parrish]

Every neighbor on my block ran outside to see what made our homes feel like they had been hit by a car. It was funny to see everyone outside in the dark and all of us talking about what just happened.

[Mary]

Rex, I'm surprised you didn't think it was another Floridian LOADING a moving van to move out of state!

[Proletariatcsp]

I had just come in off the patio and sat at the dining room table. That's when I heard what sounded like someone climbed onto the balcony above me. I just told myself that one of the chairs probably fell over, as I made my way upstairs to investigate. I checked every room to make sure no one had gotten in. Ever since we installed our hard wood floor upstairs, every sound is amplified. I suppose that it is why it sounded so close. We laughed about the whole thing the next day when we realized what the noise was.