John H. Henderson's Spectacular Space Coast Web Page

Last updated: 7 May 2004

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Current Highlight

Welcome to the Space Coast of Florida and Brevard County, the home of the non-cyber Cape Canaveral and gateway to the stars!

What's New

Geocities sent me an e-mail saying that if I didn't change anything, this would be deactivated. As I explain, I have many interests, and spending a lot of time on a computer making web sites is not one of them, but from time to time, someone comments on something they saw and liked on my web site, so I will change some stuff just so it remains here.

Since Geocities is limited downloads now, and people are getting locked out of my site, I'm starting to put photographs taken with my Cosina-Voigtländer equipment on Patrick Kelly's site. No download limits. No ads.

Guestbook and Contacting

Sign my guestbook so I can see who all the cool people are from all the cool places who visit my site!

View my guestbook

Send me mail.

Who I Am and What This Page is About

You can view the remnants of my web page at Auburn University. Many of the links are dead.

I use this space to show some of my photos. Although I photograph many things, my interest in photography was renewed when I moved to Florida's space coast, and I wanted to capture rocket launches on film. (I really do live near Cape Canaveral.)

I have little desire or time to take up web page programming as a hobby, so what you see here is probably as sophisticated as it will ever get - tables, but no frames, animation, Java, etc.. I prefer simple web pages anyway - ones that don't take forever to load and don't crash your browser. As I add more pictures, I may group them by subject and put the subjects on different pages, so you won't have to load all the pictures at once. Anyway, this page will probably win no rewards.

My name is John Henderson. I live in Rockledge, Florida, in Brevard County, a.k.a. the space coast. I am an electrical engineer with Harris Corporation. That is my official title, but I am more often referred to as an antenna engineer or electromagnetic analyst. I am an electrical engineering graduate of Auburn University in Alabama (B.E.E. 1990, M.S. 1991, Ph.D. 1997). Before going to Auburn, I lived in Hoover, Alabama, near Birmingham. However, I was born, and raised through age 11, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

My interests include space and aviation, scuba diving, investing, photography, road biking, shooting, reloading and sailing. I am also active in my church, First Baptist Church of Merritt Island.

Before moving to Florida, I almost completed my pilot's license in sailplanes with my club near Auburn, Southern Eagles Soaring. Unfortunately, soaring locations are rather distant from where I live now, making it difficult to complete my license. However, I intend to complete my pilot's license in power planes (stub-winged smoke-belchers) when finances allow. I had many soaring pictures on my old web site. Perhaps I will revive some.

I did take up scuba diving after arriving in Florida. I went a little overboard and didn't know when to stop, and I completed my Divemaster rating in August 1999. Unfortunately, I have no underwater pictures. This is mainly due to the fact that to get picture quality comparable to above-water photography, you need an order of magnitude higher financial investment in equipment.

The biggest news now in my life is that I am recently married (17 January 2004). My wife is the previous Sarah Harms, who grew up in Rockledge. As you can see above, we're about to be parents of a baby Beagle.

Photograph Pages

We use Kodak bits when available.

Rocket Launches and Space Related Photos

I was able to attend the NASA Kennedy Space Center open house in 1998. I have made a page of my personal tour of KSC.

Index of Launches

Classic Cameras

Lately, I've begun to "collect" some classic cameras. Actually, if I see a deal on one, I'll purchase it, clean it and/or repair it, play with it a while, and then sell it on eBay, usually for a small profit. I thought I'd profile some of the cameras I've had and show some pictures from them here.

Links to Other Pages on this Site

Birthdates of Famous Women
The page I created in an attempt to learn to recognize women near my age.
John's New Camera
I enter medium format photography with the purchase of a Mamiya C330 Twin Lens Reflex camera. This is so I can get better pictures of Sherry.
Beach Connection 1999
The place for Space Coast singles to go on Friday nights during the summer.
John's Baby Page
Weren't I just the cutest baby you've ever seen?
John's Bicycling Page
My latest hobby that I took up most recently in the summer of 2001.

Favorite Links

The Motley Fool
No doubt the best personal finance and individual investing site on the web.
Introduction to HTML
A quick, online reference to HTML. This is the only place where I've learned all I know about HTML, the language of web sites and browsers.
The Dialectizer
A hilarious "tool" that translates web pages into a variety of languages such as jive, redneck and moron.
Space Today from Florida Today newspaper
Space news from Brevard County's newspaper. This is one of the most complete and up-to-date space news sources on the web. A reporter is usually at launches, logging up-to-the-minute information to the site.
AltaVista search engine
The search engine I've always used - probably because it was one of the first.
John H. Henderson's Home Page
My old web page at Auburn University. Many of the links to my other pages are dead since those pages were on a server that was cleared after I graduated.
The Vanguard Group
Mutual funds and discount brokerage services. Pioneers of the index fund, industry leader for low fees, and one of the most reputable organizations in the industry.
eBay - Internet auction site
I didn't understand the hoopla about it until I tried it. It is too cool and too fun! It can be addicting - you may find yourself bidding up a price for something just to win.
Car Talk
The web site of the popular NPR radio show with Tom and Ray Magliozzi. Read their latest newspaper column, print out and distribute Electronic Tickets (My favorite: "Fog lamps, no fog."), or read about the great Ph.D. Debate.
The Car Connection
Updated every Monday morning, The Car Connection brings you auto industry news, spy shots of upcoming models, auto reviews and mechanical advice.
The Z. WPOZ Z88.3 Positive Hits
The space coast's positive hits station. The Z is the only contemporary Christian radio station I've found anywhere that is all music and carries no advertising. It is entirely listener-supported. My mom and sister visited me and said they wish they could take this station back to Birmingham with them. You can listen to them over the internet.
Search Resources (formerly Rapha Resources)
The home of the well-known book Search for Significance by Robert McGee and others. As a ministry, they allow you download Search for Significance for free.
Kelley Blue Book
Look up the values of vehicles in which you are interested in buying or selling. (Note that in my experience, the NADA guide is the one most often referred to by automotive professionals, and Kelley prices seem to be inflated. However, since NADA doesn't provide a free quoting service, you can use this site to bound the prices.)
The Internet Movie Database
All the information you could ever want about movies, TV shows, actors, actresses, plots, producers, directors, etc.
The American Academy of Opthalmology
Information about eye and vision conditions, correction, health and surgeries.
The correct time
Get the correct time from the atomic clock in Boulder, CO, maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Credit reporting agencies (CRA's): Trans-Union, Equifax, and Experian
These are the three credit reporting agencies in the US that provide pyour credit report to employers, rental agencies and credit grantors. You can order your credit report, and should do so every one to two years to ensure its accuracy.
Lensmart - Brandname contacts for less
I finally found a mail-order place that beats Wal-Mart's prices on contact lenses. I haven't tried them yet, but will when my new boxes run out.
Florida Eye Associates
Better yet, just chunk the contact lenses, and get LASIK. I did. It's great!.
Henderson Clan Society
Home page of the US and Canadian society for my Scottish heritage. Sola Virtus Nobilitat.