NASA Greenlights SpaceX ISS Visit for May 19 Clear skies on Friday night should mean that even on the FL west coast we should be able to see the rocket engines....if you care to be up at 4.55am. :smile:
It appears to me they want the Dragon capsule to arrive in orbit before stock markets open up :biggrin:
Simple orbital mechanics, as well as the limited delta-V of the dragon mandate the early launch. I am planning on getting up early to watch the webcast (I actually was a SpaceX fan first, and only discovered Tesla because I was following SpaceX)
The launch was stopped by a computer detecting high pressure in an engine. Space X is investigating the trouble and will try to shoot for Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
Went to see the SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Only had an inexpensive hand-held camera, but it was well worth witnessing history being made here in the Sunshine state!! Larry
Beautiful shots, thank you! Visiting FL in September, hopefully we can witness an (unplanned) launch, must be amazing to see in real life!
I had the opportunity to sit on the bleachers for the launch of a rocket that deployed an ASC satellite (renamed to Spacenet upon successful deployment). Also was able to go into the control room observation area. There is nothing like seeing a launch up close and personal. Bucket list - check.
Hi Zorba, Let me be the first to welcome you to the Sunshine state. :biggrin: This is the third time my wife and I have made plans to witness this historic launch as you know there were prior postponments. We just happened to be at the Wallops Island NASA museum in Maryland on May 19th when the engine valve had an over-pressure. I think that a night time launch is more dramatic especially when you are viewing at a distance. (We also saw a Space Shuttle launch during an August afternoon in Florida. It was very exciting, but not exactly a comfort-filled experience. :wink: ) For this launch it was in the low 70's and we only had to deal with the mosquitoes. I figure we were about 7 miles away from launch pad #40. We were surprised by both how bright the sight was and how loud the sound was especially as the rocket went supersonic. Larry
Me=Jealous! What an exciting moment to experience. Thanks for sharing - nice pictures considering the quality of the camera. You captured the drama of the moment - well done.
Great shots Larry; I love the streak reflecting in the water. (P.S. I've been hearing rumors (or maybe speculation!) that Tesla will put superchargers up and down the I-95 so we'll all be able to get over there with our Model S's someday soon.)
I watched a shuttle go up once. No home or theater sound system will be able to faithfully recreate the raw sounds from those types of engines. Also being part of a crowd witnessing a launch is somewhat of a group experience.