The chaotic dance of life with rocket gazing #DeltaIV #Heavy #NROL37

First of all, June 11th, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

On Thursday afternoon I spent a few hours with friends waiting on the NASA Causeway patiently in our car, but we knew the weather was not going to clear up in the long launch window. Oh well, we had a pre-scrub scrub to head home (we would have seen it from home at the end of the window if the weather magically cleared). The launch was pushed to Saturday, which meant no up close launch viewing, but a new possible angle. We were en route to a very chaotic day. First we dropped off Teddy at his 2nd home for our vacation travels and then we headed to Jen's afternoon ballet recital in Titusville. We stopped for a late Mexican food lunch and were able to watch the launch from the riverfront before heading to her show. With the far distance to the launchpad, we didn't get the glorious show we previously saw from the CCAFS Skid Strip for the Orion EFT-1 launch, but the rumble was still nice and loud. It was overcast so the show ended pretty quickly.

Scrub day at CCAFS. I took this photo with a jumbo lens from the NASA Causeway in the morning of the first launch attempt (June 9th).

Rafael's first rocket launch. #DeltaIV #WGS7 launch at sunset. #ULA #RNK

Sometimes the best way to watch a rocket is from the comfort of your own home! This was Rafael's first launch experience (outside of the womb). Jen was holding Rafi (just turned 1-week old earlier that morning) and I was holding Teddy for a family experience. I set up the camera to take a photo every second and we turned back to smile for a few of the pics. Unfortunately a few days after I Photoshopped the image below, my laptop hard drive had a mechanical failure and I have not recovered the data including this photo shoot. The image below is my only surviving digital footprint of Rafi's 1st launch (downloaded from Facebook) until we have an affordable data recovery service (one shop wanted $150 up front to look at the drive and then up to $1000 for data recovery - so the drive is safely stored until I get a fixed price). Rafi was sleeping the whole time, so I guess that answers the question of what life is like inside the womb in Cape Canaveral.

Rafi's 1st rocket launch (outside of the womb)!

Missed launch, but worth it. Away on #BabyMoon

This is a null space blog post. It's a placeholder about missing a Florida launch, but maintaining a count on how many have occurred since we moved the Florida (35th?). This was the 4th launch I have missed, and the 2nd one while being out of town. But the excuse is good, we were at the Grand Canyon (or on the way there) for our Baby Moon.

#Orion #EFT1 milestone launch sets the stage for the future of human spaceflight from Florida

The stage was set for +NASA Orion's maiden voyage, but a stray boat, weather delays and engine valve issues scrubbed the first launch attempt on Dec. 4th after exhausting the long launch window. The early morning launch window would have to be repeated the following day adding to the delirium of a long week. The night of the 4th I also ran a +Yuri's Night Space Coast Fundraiser where the proceeds will seed-fund teachers and events in the area to host events around April 12th, the anniversary of human spaceflight. The lack of sleep from the late night party and early Dec 5th morning added to the excitement of the imminent launch. The weather was stormy at 5am when we woke up (hours after tourists and VIPs had loaded on buses for the Kennedy Space Center viewing locations). We loaded up the van and headed to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip (landing strip in the middle of their station) to for the second attempt. The crowd was about half the previous morning but just as excited. The weather was looking great and I think the experienced crowd at CCAFS knew that everything was on track for launch. Sure enough, the countdown proceeded and it was all systems go for launch! United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rose like a giant building with three bright streams of fire below it. We watched it arc over us and towards space carrying Orion on a historic maiden voyage. The ‪#‎EFT1‬ (Exploration Flight Test 1) circled our planet twice before making a fiery re-entry into the Pacific Ocean. The images and videos of our planet were fantastic, a glimpse of what future astronauts may see. Look for those on +NASA's sites and across the social media-verse! This mission was particularly important for human spaceflight as it tested critical systems that are helping with the final design of the human-rated vehicle. The crowds were big, but not exactly Shuttle-like as predicted. They were significant compared to other launches. I was very happy to experience this slice of human spaceflight history. A very important part of this mission was that it did raise a lot of awareness for human spaceflight and it did energize the space community. The big question is, how long will that last and will it be enough until the next milestone event. A lot of people have been discussing "who will be first" between Lockheed's Orion and the capsules funded by NASA's Commercial Crew Program (SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's CST-100), but personally, I like to think about a near-future where we can ask "who will be second? Third?" Go Orion!

Two birds in the air, but one heading for space and into the history books.

A look at the Delta IV Heavy and it's fiery triple tail slowing ascending with Orion snug up top.

A fun pic when the bird crossed the path of the rocket and it looked like a bird-shish-kabob

The official stats:

Dec. 5	Delta 4-Heavy   •  Orion EFT-1
Launch time: 1205 GMT (7:05 a.m. EST) Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch NASA's Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle on Exploration Flight Test-1. The uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft will reach an altitude of 3,600 miles before re-entering the atmosphere to demonstrate the capsule's heat shield. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. Delayed from September. Scrubbed on Dec. 4. See our Mission Status Center. [Dec. 5]

Space!

Ryan

#AFSPC4 scrub on #Delta4, my first of many missed launches since moving to Florida

It was bound to happen, but after 23 months of living in Florida, I was out of town for a launch. The AFSPC 4 launch on the Delta 4 would have been my 22nd launch since moving to Florida Sept. 2012. I only attended one of the four scrubs on July 24th (I was hoping to watch it 7/23 while sailing), and was out of town for the other two scrubs. This has only happened to me twice before. The first mission where I witnessed a scrub (actually two) and missed the launch was STS-127 when +NASA invited the Student Ambassador's to a special conference and launch viewing opportunity. I did drive back one-week later from Cleveland (I was at NASA Glenn Research Center for my PhD research that summer) hoping to see STS-127, but it was scrubbed again. Luckily we did see the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launch to the Moon (18 June 2009) with the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)! The second near-miss was for the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission when I came for my interview with Space Florida and it scrubbed. We didn't move down to Florida from Cambridge until after the launch (September). For the record, my differentiation between a scrub and a delay is if they fuel the rocket. If it's fueled and doesn't fly, it's a scrub!

Rockets in mirror are closer than they appear. We slowly watched a blue sky over the rocket get covered by lightning storms in the area and heavy cloud coverage.

The fact that Florida is launching nearly one rocket per month is still a great pace and as activity increases on the space coast, I look forward to the future where I'm missing several launches per month. I believe we can achieve the frequency of one orbital launch per week complemented by suborbital flights even more frequent than that. I won't predict when that happens, because we all know that it's "only two years away".

Too late... clouds are overhead of the rocket and then launch window officially closed. If the launch window was longer (or opened earlier), they may have been able to launch that evening.

For those keeping score on launches, scrubs and delays, here's Spaceflightnow.com's summary of this mission. Previous launch information can be viewed on their extremely useful Launch Log.

July 28	Delta 4  •  AFSPC 4
Launch time: 2328 GMT (7:28 p.m. EDT) Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket launched the AFSPC 4 mission for the U.S. Air Force. The rocket flew in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters. The payloads included two satellites for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program. Delayed from February. Moved forward from December. Scrubbed on July 23, July 24, July 25 and July 26. See our Mission Status Center. [July 28]

Space!

Ryan

GPS 2F-6 Delta 4 Sunset launch

A lovely sunset launch that we watched from our balcony because we had to leave for my championship hockey game right after the launch. I took a ton of photos, but the best was a panorama from my iPhone.

GPS 2F-6 making it's way into space as the sun sets

Colorful launch with the setting sun of GPS 2F-6 on a Delta 4

Panorama with the GPS 2F-6 riding a Delta 4 away from the sunset in Cape Canaveral

The official stats:

May 16/17

Delta 4  •  GPS 2F-6

Launch time: 0003 GMT on 17th (8:03 p.m. EDT on 16th) Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket deployed the Air Force's sixth Block 2F navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The rocket flew in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters. Scrubbed on May 15 by weather. See our Mission Status Center. [May 16]

Space!

Ryan

GPS 2F-5 Night Launch on Delta 4

This is why living in Cape Canaveral rocks! After softball I rushed home to set up the camera on the balcony. The first photo merge is from two, 30 second exposures. Then we ran across the condo out the front door and the second merge is of five, 30 second exposures, leading up to MECO (Main Engine Cut-Off).

GPS 2F-5 on a humid night leaves Cape Canaveral launched on a Delta 4

On a clear night you can watch the rocket all the way to Main Engine Cutt-Off (MECO) and into the stars

The official stats:

Feb. 20/21

Delta 4  •  GPS 2F-5

Launch time: 0159 GMT on 21st (8:59 p.m. EST on 20th) Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket deployed the Air Force's fifth Block 2F navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The rocket will fly in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters. Delayed from Oct. 17, Oct. 23 and Dec. 12. See our Mission Status Center. [Feb. 20]

Space!

Ryan

Sailing and WGS-6 Launch from the Indian River

Granted I didn't take the best photos on my iPhone, but the location was unbelievable! After racing Sneaker on the Indian River (Wednesday night race night series), we kept sailing past sunset to watch the launch from the water. You could clearly see the four solid boosters separate and fall away back to the Atlantic. The rocket kept soaring and the upper stage separation was gorgeous! A spiral of smoke shot out of the beacon of light and two lights feel back to earth as the upper stage kept sailing away!

Another successful race for the Sneaker crew as we sit back and relax sailing into the sunset.

Rene takes a moment to watch the launch of WGS-6. What a view from the water!

The official stats:

Aug. 7/8

Delta 4  •  WGS 6

Launch window: 0029 GMT on 8th (8:29 p.m. EDT on 7th) Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket launched the sixth Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft, formerly known as the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite. Built by Boeing, this geostationary communications spacecraft will serve U.S. military forces. The rocket flew in the Medium+ (5,4) configuration with four solid rocket boosters. Delayed from June and July. See our Mission Status Center. [Aug. 7]

Space!

Ryan

WGS-5 launch on Delta IV from Space Florida South Campus bleachers

A beautiful launch with Jen and Sabrena! The contrail turned into a rainbow from the setting sun. The four solid rockets could be seen falling back to earth after separation for many minutes. They looked like slowly falling stars as the blinked from reflections. The upper stage separation was also visible as the rocket looked like it hit a cloud with a plume out-gassing radially from the stages. This was a one of a kind launch! It's too bad I opted for bulb mode on liftoff and over saturated the lens. We were at the South Campus location because they had moved people back from the causeway spots (probably due to the prevailing winds).

The contrail left a rainbow of colors as the Delta IV rocketed away.

Four solid boosters fall back to Earth like twinkling falling stars.

The rainbow dances in the contrail.

A few short videos including the solid boosters twinkling and the launch clearing the tower.

The official stats:

May 24/25

Delta 4  •  WGS 5

Launch time: 0027 GMT on 25th (8:27 p.m. EDT on 24th) Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket launched the fifth Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft, formerly known as the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite. Built by Boeing, this geostationary communications spacecraft will serve U.S. military forces. The rocket flew in the Medium+ (5,4) configuration with four solid rocket boosters. Delayed from Jan. 18, February, March, May 8 and May 22. Scrubbed on May 23 by pressurization issue. See our Mission Status Center. [May 25]

Space!

Ryan

Rockets light up October skies in Florida - #GPSIIF3 & #CRS1 #Dragon Launches on Delta IV & Falcon 9

Two launches in the span of four days occurred on the Space Coast this week with ULA's Delta IV rocket carrying the GPSII-F3 satellite (October 4th) and SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifting a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for the Commercial Resupply Services Mission, CRS-1 (October 7th, they also had a secondary payload). This week has been window into our future on the Space Coast where we can expect multiple launches per week, every week. I hope we open space access to the point of daily launches, at least suborbital flights.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for the Commercial Resupply Services Mission, CRS-1

The photo composite of the Falcon 9 launch above is of five photos, each with 13 seconds of exposure. The photomerge created an interesting inversion in the middle of the contrail, but I like the artistic feature. This was my first night launch, so based on my Shuttle launch experience I was expecting 10-15 seconds before hitting a cloud deck. I was off by a significant factor, but at least I will be ready for the next night launch, of which there will be plenty! The HD video I shot with my phone is below. It was like watching a star get lifted into the night sky.



These are a couple of my favourite shots from the Delta IV launch. I love the long contrail that rockets leave behind that connect the earth to the cosmos, ripping a hole through the atmosphere. The classic zoom picture of a rocket just off the launch pad with a strong reflection in the water never gets old. It's a very personal souvenir that captures the excitement of the launch, and the immense power of the rocket.

This Delta IV launch was flawless on a beautiful morning from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37B.

The Delta IV rocket carrying the GPSII-F3 satellite well clear of the tower and heading into the cosmos.

The official stats form the launches:

Oct. 4	Delta 4  •  GPS 2F-3
Launch time: 1210 GMT (8:10 a.m. EDT) Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket deployed the Air Force's third Block 2F navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The rocket flew in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters. Delayed from Sept. 20. See our Mission Status Center. [Oct. 4]

Oct. 7/8

Falcon 9  •  SpaceX CRS 1

Launch time: 0035 GMT on 8th (8:35 p.m. EDT on 7th) Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the third Dragon spacecraft on the first operational cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. The flight is being conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Delayed from Aug. 9 and Sept. 24. See our Mission Status Center. [Oct. 7]