Cocoa Beach and Rocket Launches
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121582)
Gainesville, Florida
August 3, 2024 10:56am CST
My ex wife's birthday was on Friday, and my son and daughter celebrated by treating her to a weekend at Cocoa Beach, Florida, at a rental house right on the beach. It was very thoughtful of the kids to do that, and a very nice getaway weekend for their mom.
Their place on the beach was just south of the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, and lo and behold there was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch scheduled for this morning at around 11:30am. I made sure to alert the kids to be out on the beach at that time so they could see and film the launch. I also had to warn them (they have never seen a launch up close before) that being so close they would also feel the launch, an experience that feels exactly like a large earthquake.
Unfortunately, the launch was scrubbed due to bad weather, so they didn't get to experience such an awesome event. The launch will be re-attempted on August 4th, although I'm pretty sure that attempt will be scrubbed as well due to the tropical storm that is going to hit Florida on Sunday.
I'm hoping that they all will be able to enjoy some sunshine and some relaxation time at the beach, despite the incoming tropical storm. Fortunately, my ex-wife and both kids are all good sports about things and tend to "go with the flow," so even if there were no rocket launches, or bad weather due to a tropical storm, they will still find a way to have a good time.
Have you ever witnessed a rocket launch from up close? Or, have you ever had to adjust plans on a trip due weather or other factors?
10 people like this
11 responses
@kareng (59115)
• United States
17 Aug
@moffittjc Great kids!
Have a great weekend!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Aug
@kareng Thanks! You too. It's been a beautiful weekend so far. That hurricane out in the Atlantic has funneled cooler, dryer air to our area, and it almost makes it feel like fall outside. It's only temporary, but I'll take it!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug
The kids really go all out to take care of me and their mom on special occasions. They really went above and beyond for my 50th and 55th birthdays, and it's good to see them doing the same thing with their mother.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (178568)
• United States
4 Aug
I've never witnessed a rocket launch. We had to adjust our Florida plans when a hurricane was wandering around in the Gulf. It kept raining; so we stayed in a really nice resort for a couple of days.. That was nice of your kids to arrange that trip for your ex. Have a good day.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug
Thanks Linda, hope you have a good day too. Not sure how mine will go, it’s 7:00am on Monday and we’re right smack in the middle of hurricane Debby.
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@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug
@LindaOHio Everything is good where I live. We had tons of rain, but it was much needed rain. There was some temporary flooding, but most of it soaked into the ground pretty quickly due to how dry it's been here this summer. But we have several rivers here that are still rising, and they don't expect them to crest until the next day or two, so unfortunately there are still local areas that will be dealing with river flooding for quite a while.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (178568)
• United States
8 Aug
@moffittjc I hope you are safe and sound. Some areas received around 20" of rain.
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@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug
But as a Canadian, you haven't wintered in Florida before? 
I really do hope they have a good weekend, despite the possibility of deteriorating weather conditions.
I really do hope they have a good weekend, despite the possibility of deteriorating weather conditions.2 people like this
@Juliaacv (51190)
• Canada
3 Aug
@moffittjc No, I've never had the desire to spend time down in Florida-sorry.
I dislike the heat, and crowds, and it is a tourist state and during the winter I cannot help but to think that it gets crowded. Maybe some day my tastes will change.
It is a good weekend here, I hope that yours is also.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug
@Juliaacv I’m with you on all that. If I lived in Canada, I probably wouldn’t want to visit Florida either. I can think of less crowded places I’d like to go.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Aug
The launch was rescheduled for the following day, but was scrubbed again due to Hurricane Debby. So no rocket launch, but everyone had a great time anyway. They got some bad weather on Sunday with the approaching storm, but they were mostly just shopping at that point so it didn’t slow them down any.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Aug
@just4him It would have been awesome for them to see a launch so close up, but despite that they still did lots of fun stuff together. I'm just happy the kids got to spend good quality time with their mom.
2 people like this
@just4him (317041)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
7 Aug
@moffittjc I'm glad the weather didn't slow them down. Too bad the weather interfered with the rocket launch.
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (19949)
• United States
13 Aug
Never saw one up close. That would be cool though.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug
Sometimes—depending on the launch trajectory—you may be able to see glimpses of them up your way.
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@thislittlepennyearns (62487)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
4 Aug
I think we saw one one year when I was real little.
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@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug
It seems like SpaceX is launching Falcon 9 rockets every other day. I can see them at night in Gainesville, although it is very small. Can't really see them in the daytime from Gainesville.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug
@thislittlepennyearns As I write this, the hurricane is directly west of us, so we’re getting some nasty squalls as the bands rotate through. But so far we’re holding up well.
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@thislittlepennyearns (62487)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
5 Aug
@moffittjc I think we were either in Miami or at Disney when we saw them. LOL
You gonna get any of this weather?
2 people like this
@FourWalls (68000)
• United States
3 Aug
YES!!!!! When we first moved to Daytona Beach in 1973 we drove down to watch a rocket launch. It was amazing!!
Lots to do and see on the Space Coast, so I hope they have a great time even without the launch. And yes, that was great of your kids to treat their mom like that!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug
That's awesome that you got to see a rocket launch in person! My most amazing rocket launch memory is when I was a kid, we went to see the second ever launch of the Space Shuttle. That was so amazing, and we were so close to the launch pad!
I know they're having a great time. They all FaceTimed me last night from an art gallery they had stumbled upon when they were exploring the area. I have a feeling they are all the proud new owners of some great beach art! lol
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Aug
I've seen quite a few on tv myself. I'm a big space geek. haha
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@wolfgirl569 (106226)
• Marion, Ohio
3 Aug
That would be a great birthday present. Sorry that didn't get to see a launch
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@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug
They weren't even aware there was going to be a launch until I told them. I think the nice birthday present was just being able to relax at the beach and get away from the hustle and bustle for a while. I just hope the weather held up for them, with the tropical storm approaching and all.
2 people like this
@Dena91 (16636)
• United States
3 Aug
I haven't experienced an up-close look at a rocket launch.
Weather factors did happen. When my mother and step father moved to NC in the late 80s, they asked if I and a friend would help them drive the cars down. We agreed to, and we would fly back home to PA. The problem was they chose to move in Feb. And in Feb. snow and ice happen. And it did that Feb. It was one of the worse winter storms to hit the east coast in a few years. What was supposed to be a 10 hour drive turned into a 2 1/2 day drive.
Flying home was a disaster too. Got to the airport and waited. More snow. Everyone said in Charlotte they couldn't remember the last time they had so much fall in one storm. Finally the airline bused us to Raleigh, about 3-4 hours away. We eventually were flown into Newark, NJ airport (were trying to get to Philadelphia) My father had to come get us after going to JFK airport in New York to pick up his then girlfriend from there (she was suppose to fly into Philadelphia like us). She had flown to WV to get a divorce so they could get married. Before cell phones. It was a trip I'll never forget, nor do I ever want to go through again. It was the last time I ever flew. I didn't think we would survive the 45 minute flight with all the turbulence.
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