SpaceX returns to the ISS, a perfect kickoff to Yuri's Night weekend #CRS8 #YurisNight #ISSRC

This post has been significantly delayed because of all the awesome April activities including +Yuri's Night, +NASA Swarmathon and NASA's +International Space Apps Challenge. A little has been lost from the raw emotion of +SpaceX's triumphant return to the +International Space Station and historic landing on a barge out at sea for the first time, but as always, the photos retell the best stories.

As always, the blog starts with the launch pic. Right on time, no delays, a nice way to end the week and begin the Yuri's Night weekend!

A new star in the sky. #OA6 #Cygnus off to #ISS via #AtlasV @ULAlaunch @OrbitalATK @NASA @NASAKennedy

With less than one minute until launch, the rooftop of OSB-II fell silent. A few awkward funny noises were made followed by giggles, because after all there are high school experiments in this cargo vessel to the International Space Station. After the rocket cleared the tower, there were sighs of relief and lots of cheering from scientists, politicians, technologists, rocketeers and their families watching their payloads lift off into space. The cheering continued with remarks like "wow" and "it's so bright!" It almost looked like the rocket was curving towards us in an optical illusion as it climbed higher and higher and towards the North. Its orbital trajectory took it over the Atlantic Ocean and from our perspective look like it was starting to go downwards. Overall a beautiful arc in a fairly clear sky. The engines flickered out and it was in space, a new star in the sky, and a new satellite orbiting Earth bound to resupply the space station. I saw friends from +Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), +Made In Space, +University of Central Florida, and +NASA volunteers. Thank you +NanoRacks and DreamUp for hosting +Space Florida at this launch! Congratulations to United Launch Alliance and +Orbital ATK on a successful launch!

Arcing up and then away to the chase the +International Space Station

#OA4 Cygnus scrubs and launch weekend with Rafi visiting Atlantis! #RNK

As VIP guests, Jen and I were able to take Rafi to visit Atlantis for the first time before the United Launch Alliance launch attempt of Orbital ATK's Cygnus OA4 mission to the ISS on an Atlas V. Thank you to +Carl Carruthers and +NanoRacks! Jen and I were busy posing Rafi in silly ways +Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex :-) 

Rafi's first visit to Atlantis!

SpaceX CRS-7 launch and explosion from the Banana River #CRS7 #NASASocial

The quiet serenity of sailing towards a launchpad with the wind at your back mixed with a rocket launching to space is a surreal and rare experience. The rocket was silenced after a few minutes of ascent, and we didn't even know that it exploded until ~4 minutes later. It looked like we just lost track of it in the bight morning sky and clouds. +SpaceX will recover from this accident and be back on track to the ISS.

Our view of the SpaceX​ #CRS7 launch, as we sailed North on the Banana River in the no motor zone. I'm confident that the Falcon will sail to the stars again. Jen and I had been trying to take our boat sailing for a launch since we got her last year, but it wasn't until this launch was delayed from it's original weekday slot to the weekend that made it possible. I was selected as a #NASASocial +NASA #NASASocial attendee, but decided that this opportunity to sail to a launch could not be missed. The silver lining is that this is exactly the launch photo I wanted to get framed by the sails and sheets.

Rhiannon Roberts holds out a thermal blanket from the +NASA Orion Program. This item did not fly on the EFT-1 test flight, but the #NASASocial group did see components of the tiles that did fly to space and back.

Hanging out with WWE/WWF's Diva Debra in front of the VAB [@WWEDivaDebra]

+Chris Haber pulled out the big lens right when the sound wave hit us.

Although Teddy looks adorable as always, he was not liking our close view because of the noise and vibrations. 

The last image of rocket in one piece.

We thought this was MECO, but it was an explosion. I didn't take photos after because I couldn't see anything anymore and I was looking for the first stage to re-light heading to the barge (we did see that on a previous SpaceX launch).

June 28

Falcon 9   •  SpaceX CRS 7

Launch time: 1421:11 GMT (10:21:11 a.m. EDT) Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket failed to launch the ninth Dragon spacecraft on the seventh operational cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. The flight was conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Delayed from June 13. Moved forward from June 22. Delayed from June 19 and June 26. Read our full story. [June 28]

Space!

Ryan