Welcome back to earth

June 2, 2010 7:45 PM

I've been wondering if there's any truth to something I remember reading a while ago: that when the Space Shuttle makes a nighttime landing, people in the area around Kennedy Space Center leave their outdoor lights on to welcome it home.

I'd especially love to hear if someone has personally experienced this, or (if true), how it got started. It's a pretty charming idea even if it turns out not to be.

posted by Pochemuchka to Society & Culture (4 answers total)

I lived most of my life a few miles from KSC (residentially as close as you can get), grew up in an aerospace family like most of my friends, and have never heard of this.

I agree that it's a really cute story. Maybe it was true decades ago?
posted by funfetti at 8:10 PM on June 2, 2010

Nope. No one I know does this, and I have lived here all my life.
posted by misha at 8:38 PM on June 2, 2010

My colleague here with me says there are not many at all night landings so she is not familiar with this. She is from Cape Canaveral and her dad works at the center. Everyone does stand outside, she says, and watches/listens for it to return. She's going to email her family and ask for more info.
She says she recalls (the story, she is not old enough to remember personally) that when John Glenn was orbiting earth, residents of Perth Australia left lights on for him.
posted by pointystick at 6:13 AM on June 3, 2010

As another former resident of the KSC area, I can say that we never did this and I've never heard of it.
posted by Servo5678 at 8:23 AM on June 3, 2010