DISCOVERY ARRIVING EVENTS - NOVA & MD MEMBERS - April 17-20, 2012

I just received the postcard from the NASM concerning the events. They are as follows (weather permitting):

April 17 - Breakfast Reception to watch Discovery fly at the Udvar-Hazy Center. Must be a Mercury Friendship 7 level or higher ($250/year). (Had to upgrade mine to get the invite and only 2 tickets allowed.)

April 20, 2012 - Friday
Special Preview for members of the Museum's National Air & Space Society and their guests. No charge to attend, but advance reservations are required at airandspace.si.edu/mem​bertickets.

If you are interested in meeting there, I will be attending both with my son(s). Can't decide which one to bring.

Ann & I will be at the Breakfast Reception; I was figuring on coming to the April 19 hand-over ceremony though, rather than the preview on the 20th. Either or both will be a zoo, though. I need to get another parking pass, too.

Parking is free for ticket holders. I have the e-mail. I didn't get the info on the 19th yet, but I can be there, too. Let me get the info from the NASM as I just upgraded my membership to the level I needed. I'm taking Jared on the 17th and then taking him to school.

Parking comes with the breakfast reception on the 17th? Or with the member's viewing on the 20th? I've got one visit left on my card, so I can always get the next on the next visit. OTOH, if I sign up to help one of the researchers as a volunteer I can get free parking, and retirement's only 154 days away! Still, there's at least one Over The Front meeting there coming up in May, and maybe another in early August (I hope it's not late August; my retirement date coincides with an air show at the strip where my BiL keeps his plane).

N/M - got my confirmation and entry directions for the 17th. See you there, Suzy! Ann and I will be there as soon as I can get her there. So I can renew the parking on the 19th, which will be my last visit on this pass.

I have 2 left on mine and yes, parking is free for the members who have invitations. I'm just wondering if I can get Ken & Greg in and they can wait in the parking lot.

Oh, what are you bringing? I'm thinking the 7D, 5D2, 100-400, 70-200. Jared can hold one and me the other. And if i have space, hold up the iPad.

My usual. 5D2, 7D, 15-30, 24-70, 70-200, 100-400. Might dust off the 1D3 and bring the 300 f/4 as well. The 2.8's just too heavy, and I haven't yet gone after the 500 (which would want a monopod at the minimum). I may hand Ann the SX1 set in HD video mode, too. Or could Jared run that? Eye level finder or flip-out screen for viewing.

What I wonder about is that they say "weather permitting". Does that mean they'll reschedule the activities, or that they'll cancel but bring the shuttle in regardless?

I rather suspect they'll have names at the gate; Ken and Greg might be able to walk in from the visitor's entrance. So leave a bit of extra time to scoot them over there and get back in.

I think I may just take Jared. Greg can come to the reception on Friday since I got 4 tickets to that one. Yes is the answer to weather permitting. I spoke to the membership director and she said they have a lot of "important" people coming and they are told to have a 5 day window.

http://www.nasa.gov …_Discovery_Flig​ht_DC.html

News release just now. Happening on the 17th, as planned and there will be a release to the best places to watch the fly by.

That still depends on the weather . . .

Yes, but there is a good chance it will be fine. I'm so excited!

Looks like they're calling rain around Atlanta, not Savannah. So it's anybody's guess. It's not just what's happening here - it's the whole way up.

Yes. But I'm counting on it. I teach on the 16th and left the rest of the week open. Have you been to the A&S recently? I was there a few weeks ago and Enterprise was getting ready to go.

January, and they had some pieces off her and in the restoration space then. I'll probably duck in and take a look when we're there the 17th.