I'm down at Cape Canaveral for the big NASA Tweetup. Today was just a travel day, and after arriving in Orlando, I drove to the Cape to pick up my credentials. The gals behind the desk were very excited that my badge number was 007. Yeah, shaken not stirred. It'll be that kind of weekend.

There's a reason why they call this the Space Coast. Everything is themed to the space program. Even a McDonald's I drove by had a big Space Shuttle playground out front, and several of the gas stations and convenience stores displayed signs saying, "Godspeed Endeavour," and "Welcome Gabby Giffords and Friends." It makes you wonder what the place will be like when the Shuttle program comes to and end.

I've never really liked Florida. Flat. Hot. Just miles and miles of strip malls. I'm sure there are some very nice areas in the state, but they've hidden them well. For a tourist who's only here for a few days, all you're likely to see are an endless procession of fast food joints along the highway. And churches. This is the God-fearing South, after all.

Friday's launch will be the final flight of Endeavour and may be the final flight of the entire Shuttle program. All the Twitter folks I've met so far are unbelievably excited to be here, and especially because they know this may be the last time for quite awhile that we'll see humans blast off from Cape Canaveral. One woman I met from San Diego confessed to me that she broke down and cried when she learned she'd been selected for the Tweetup. Her Twitter handle, by the way, is star_geek. But we're all geeks here. I brought five cameras.

The excitement is sure to build as the countdown clock winds down (Why do they have countdowns anyway? Seems like it only adds to the tension.) Everything looks good for a launch on Friday, even the weather, with a slight concern for crosswinds in case of a RTLS abort. That's "return to launch site" for you non-geeks. If something goes wrong during the launch, the Shuttle would have to do a tricky U-turn and land back at the Cape. Or if it's high enough its flight path, it would coast all the way over the Spain.

But that won't happen.

Tomorrow, we get to the site of the Tweetup, a big tent near the countdown clock (dubbed a "Twent" for this event). Actors Seth Green and LeVar Burton are already here (I haven't seen them, but I did have to sign a release form because LeVar is filming a TV episode of the Tweetup.) There are several presentations and tour of the Cape, and tomorrow night we'll get to see the big gantry pull away revealing the Space Shuttle in all its glory. Stay tuned.






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