Local boy watches final shuttle liftoff

Ever since he was 6 years old, Jefferson Cavanaugh has been desperate to see a space shuttle launch.

"My dad promised he would take me," Jefferson said, "and every smmer, I'd say, 'When are you going to take me?'"

Now 11, Jefferson knew it was his last chance after NASA announced it was ending its shuttle program.

"I said, 'Dad, we have to do it.'"

It wasn't too difficult to persuade his parents, Charlie and Joyce Cavanaugh.

"We have an overall fascination with the space program, and we shared that with Jefferson," Charlie explained. "We were around when they started it. Seeing a space shuttle launch was on my checklist."

So the Carson City family traveled to Florida's Kennedy Space Center to watch the space shuttle Atlantis make its final launch in the predawn hours of July 8.

Jefferson said he felt the Earth shake as the clock counted down the final seconds before the shuttle launched and he watched it disappear into the clouds.

"It was breathtaking," Jefferson recounted. "It was amazing."

The Carson Middle School sixth-grader wants to be an aeronautical engineer or a pilot for NASA when he grows up. He regularly attends space and science camps and is a member of Young Eagles, a program dedicated to youth interested in aviation.

A luncheon with astronaut Bruce Melnick helped him figure out what he needed to do to pursue his desired career, and a tour of the space center showed him what it might be like.

His favorite attraction, he said, was the Mission to Mars, which allowed him to feel the pull of 4 Gs in a G-force simulator.

"It spins around and around and around," he explained. "It's like someone's sitting on top of your chest. You can't even lift your head up."

Jefferson came home with a model space shuttle, his badge and tickets to the event and a commemorative coin.

"It was totally worth it," he said. "It was the last one, and not many people are able to see the last space shuttle launch."

Charlie Cavanaugh was happy they finally made it as well. He only had one regret.

"In hindsight," he said, "I would have gone a long time ago."