They woke me up before 2 o'clock
They woke me up before 2 o'clock this morning to start the launch rehearsal. I thought I'd be sleepy, but I was wide awake as soon as everything got started. I don't think anyone could sleep through a rocket launch, even just a rehearsal. There's so much going on, from the rocket to the launch area to the control room. The real thing will be just about the same… just much noisier and more nervous!
The team moved through everything as if it were the real launch. They did a couple of tests and disconnected things. I got rolled back out of the launch tower and then they went through the launch sequence. Everything went smoothly, and I was mock “launched” by early afternoon. Then we all went to get some sleep, because it had been a very long morning. But now they have practiced the launch and everyone is feeling good about the real deal!
