Atlas Rocket Launch

[Link]

Last night we went to Cape Canaveral and sat across the bay to watch the Atlas rocket launch.  Really cool as we watched NASA live on my iPhone to get all the updates and hear them do the checklist and countdown.  I live about 3 miles away from he launch pad but our friends who have been down here for years convinced us to drive to the bay where the newscast teams film from.  There were a thousand people there as launches are big news here.  Exciting to watch, wish my father was here as it was always a dream of his to see a launch.

 

[BigKahuna]

Pretty cool Mark.....just watched it on the news.

 

[Pittsburgh]

If I lived nearby I would never miss a launch 


Not the same by any stretch of the imagination seeing it on TV I am sure 


Glad you enjoyed yourself Link 

 

[SEMPERFI8387]

Very cool Mark!!

 

[lakeliving]

Pretty cool. We were down there once and there was a launch. I saw this glow going up and thought "What the?" Later on the news I saw what it was! Good times.

 

[1Blderbob]

Always really cool to watch the rockets go up! I always try to go to the beach when they put a rocket up from Wallops Island. Although,a couple of years ago they had a rocket explode on the launch pad. Very exciting in a bad way.

 

[Spoiledrotten]

I like rocket launches, too. This was the last time they sent a space shuttle up in the evening.  March, 2009. I took these shots while we were on vacation down at Ocala Nat'l Forest. We were about 70 miles away from launch. Or so I was told.

This is the booster coming off.

And as the vapor trail slowly fades away....

 

[clrd]

Very cool, would love to see a launch some day. 

 

[lakeliving]

Very cool, would love to see a launch some day. 

Worth a trip. Too bad we aren't exploring space more than we are. I'm freaked out by the concept that it just goes on...and on...and on. Something has to be out there right?

 

[Rockie69]

Worth a trip. Too bad we aren't exploring space more than we are. I'm freaked out by the concept that it just goes on...and on...and on. Something has to be out there right?

Nope.

 

[royal4]

Always wanted to go... purposely scheduled a trip to Fla with that in mind (shuttle launch) during a Disney trip --  Stayed at Cocoa Beach, got the wife and kids up at 2am the first night... waited...got scrubbed    Got everyone up 2am the second night ... waited....got scrubbed again      They told me I'm on my own if I go the 3rd night.... so we left and went to Disney and low and behold it rocketed off right on time          so I saw it from a long distance...              I really wish I would have went to see a Saturn V during the Apollo lunar missions.  That was a rocket!!!

 

[SEMPERFI8387]

I wonder how many kids growing up now, want to be an astronaut? When we were kids, we all wanted to be one. I don't think it has the passion anymore, from the people, like it did in the 70's/80's. 

 

[lakeliving]

I wonder how many kids growing up now, want to be an astronaut? When we were kids, we all wanted to be one. I don't think it has the passion anymore, from the people, like it did in the 70's/80's. 

I agree. Now they just want to be YouTube stars. I think we're going to see a slowdown in the sciences. Back in the day when you had a question you figured it out yourself. Now, google...


I hope I'm wrong.

 

[clrd]

Worth a trip. Too bad we aren't exploring space more than we are. I'm freaked out by the concept that it just goes on...and on...and on. Something has to be out there right?

Yes from what the scientists say about the vastness of space. I would have to believe that we are not alone. 

 

[lakeliving]

I wonder how sweet the pontoons are on other planets in different galaxies. I thought I was cool ordering the salt water package. How cool would the galactic package be?!

 

[tcpip95]

Blondie and I went to see a night time launch of the Space Shuttle a couple of years ago (STS-130,  Feb 8th, 2010).  I had seen two others, but this was her first.  What was amazing was that you SEE it, then you FEEL it, then you HEAR it.  All she kept saying was "Oh my God!" over and over.


When it launched, you saw the fireball, then it went into low clouds.  The clouds were all lit up, but then it burst out of the low clouds and you saw this brilliant ship flying SO FAST!  Here's a video of it (not mine, but this guy must have been really close to where we were standing):

 

[mattb]

Many years ago I saw similar to what Spoiled saw.  Couple years later I was awoke by the sonic boom at landing, both times I was SE of Orlando. R.I.P. John Glenn, to boldly go.... 

 

[Bamaman]

The Atlas V rockets are made in Decatur, Alabama, and they're delivered by big, shallow draft motorized barges  We often seeing them come by our lake house on the Tennessee River. 


They're offshoots of the incredible Redstone Arsenal projects coming out of Huntsville--including the original Redstone Rockets used to put up the moon flights.  The Space Station modules were also built by Boeing at Huntsville.  Needless to say, there's no more rocketry expertise anywhere than in Huntsville, Alabama.


One of the self propelled barges lost control and took out a very large river across the Tennessee River 3 years ago.  It's been quite a difficult drive to work for many people to drive to another bridge, but the new replacement bridge is finished as far as I know.  The rocket inside the barge was unhurt in the collision.

 

[Link]

Space is big news here and dominates the newspaper and local news as it so important to the economy.  Next launch date is a night launch on January 19


https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/events/events-calendar/2017/january/rocket-launch-ula-atlas-v-sbirs-geo-3

 

[lakeliving]

That's why you are holding off on getting a Benny down there....you are waiting to buy a rocket! I've heard people refer to their local launch site but this is truly a launch site!!!