Farewell to thee Cape Canaveral. #ERAU new professorship and #NROL61 launch.

3-2-1... we're moving.

There have been a lot of changes brewing for our family lately but I am proud to announce my big career news: Aug 16th I will evolve into a Professor of Commercial Space Operations at +Embry-Riddle, Daytona Beach Campus! +Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has a fantastic history of contributions to aviation and space and I hope to do my part in the new Spacesuit Lab!

A photo from one of my visits to ERAU campus. The Wright Flyer next to the observatory and landmark sign, all pointing to soar higher.

Speedy rocket soars to kick off weekend #MUOS5 #AtlasV #TGIF

The view from the ITL was... well short. But amazing of course. Any time you can watch a rocket launch from up close is going to be a good memory. I brought out my big lens to capture the launch, I believe it was my first time using it to capture one up close. Granted all professional media photos are way better than mine, I still like to capture one or two moments through the lens each launch. This Atlas V configuration had 5 solid rockets sending the MUOS-5 satellite into orbit, meaning it had a big thrust-kick right off the pad and towards the sun, which not the best angle for shots, but I saw a few creative lens flares out there. Congrats to United Launch Alliance again, what a great way to start off Jen's birthday weekend!

My tweet text: Cleared the tower. #MUOS5 on it's way to orbit hitching a ride on #AtlasV rocket with @ulalaunch this morning. #TGIF

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).

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

We missed the #GPS2F12 launch, but not the webcast. Family first!

The launch was delayed and pushed into our vacation. For the actual launch day we were in south Florida (Pompano Beach) with our family. We watched the webcast and went outside with the babies for the odd chance we would see or hear the rocket overhead.  Being 200 miles to the south, I knew it was a longshot (the trajectory would need to also be going south), but the cloud coverage made sure we would not see anything. The babies of course are not aware yet, and it is still a fun ritual to spot the rocket.

Rafi and Harper enjoyed meeting each other and shared a launch experience... well at least the webcast!

#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!

Just the boys home watching the Halloween #GPSIIF11 launch. #CapeLife

Jen works on Saturdays, leaving the boys home alone for shenanigans. Rafi awoke from a mini cat-nap just in time to watch ULA's successful launch of Atlas V rocket with GPSIIF11 (GPS 2F-11, the 11th of 12 total) payload from our balcony. Teddy as usual was the early warning system for the sound wave.

Popping out from behind the rooftops, the rocket soars upwards. If you didn't know it was a rocket launch day, you would have heard it a few minutes later but missed the bright part of the show.

Boat enters Debris Zone, Cloud enters Photo Zone. #Morelos3 on #AtlasV @ulalaunch's 100th launch!

The launch window weather looked ideal for an early morning launch photo, but a boat snuck into the “falling debris zone” and they delayed the launch 20 minutes. This allowed a pesky cloud to enter the “photo zone”. Congratulations to United Launch Alliance on their 100th launch!

A brief moment in frame.

The full canvas the rocket should have painted at the nominal launch time.

How the scene looked before the launched was delayed due to a pesky boat in the way. The stars were out and a few clouds painted the low skies with pink and orange. A cruise ship was returning to the Port (large white moving city just left of center on horizon).

The official stats:

Oct. 2

Atlas 5   •  Morelos 3

Launch time: 1028 GMT (6:28 a.m. EDT) Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-059, launched the Morelos 3, or Mexsat 2, communications satellite for the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation. The rocket flew in the 421 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, two solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from Oct. 20. Moved up from Oct. 22. Read our full story. [Oct. 2]

Space!

Ryan

#MUOS4 Spectacular launch with angelic contrails on #AtlasV

A spectacular launch! Even though all I had to do was roll out of bed and push down my remote for my camera, I was still up early, even before the baby. The launch was super bright and nice and slow. I was listening to the launch control center and got a very good play by play. The rocket reached Mach 1 and MaxQ right before it passed over our viewable area on our balcony. I heard that the solid rockets had separated and ran across the condo. The rest of the launch gazing was spectacular! White angle-like strands of contrails were coming off the rocket, almost like a comet. What a view of the Atlas V rocket and the MUOS-4 payload as the upper stage burned in the sunrise. Nice launch United Launch Alliance!

The spine of the rocket launch. A magical contrail that was lit up by the morning sunrise approaching. It is called a Twilight phenomena. A colleague said it looks like an underwater creature. I guess it's a 'space Rorschach' image!

The angelic contrail could be seen from as far away as South Carolina. It was amazing.

Here's the standard rocket contrail, but it was really the upper atmosphere show that was magical.

The official stats:

Sept. 2

Atlas 5   •  MUOS 4

Launch time: 1018 GMT (6:18 a.m. EDT) Launch site:SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-056, launched the fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite for the U.S. Navy. Built by Lockheed Martin, this U.S. military spacecraft will provide narrowband tactical communications designed to significantly improve ground communications for U.S. forces on the move. The rocket flew in the 551 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, five solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from Aug. 13, Aug. 20, Aug. 27 and Aug. 31. Read our full story. [Sept. 2]

Space!

Ryan

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)!

The labor of launching a rocket. #GPS2F10 launched as #BabyK prepped for arrival. #ULA #AtlasV

After a sleepless night, we headed to the hospital on the morning of July 15th expecting both a rocket launch and a baby launch. With contractions steadily progressing, we didn't know if we would catch the launch. At the beginning of the launch window, we were in between contractions so we took our positions by the hospital window. The rocket launched right on time and unfortunately we couldn't see if from Melbourne. However, I did get to see this particular rocket up close on one of our legislative tours of KSC/CCAFS. We went up to the top deck of ULA's Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) and were able to look down at the rocket before the payload was added. We saw the rocket on multiple platform levels with the most bizarre floor numbers. We even got to stick our heads pretty close to the RD-180 engines on the ground floor and read the Cyrillic print "РД-180" in red paint. To finish the story, after a long labor, Rafael Neil Kobrick was born on the next day at 0030, July 16th, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch to the Moon! It happened to be a new moon that night and a very busy hospital.

The Atlas V patiently waits for it's payload to be delivered at LC-41. We went to the very top floor (just under the yellow crane, but not up by the ULA logo) and what a view of the Cape! Photos were not allowed inside/outside the VIF, but check out the video below.

2015 @NASARMC videos and launch of #AFSPC5

Oh man I never posted this blog! Oh well, here is token launch photo and the playlist of videos I shot at the 2015 +NASA Robotic Mining Competition.

There was a break in the competition and everyone ran to the arena entrance to watch the rocket lift from the horizon. This was the second year in a row that a launch occurred during the RMC.

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.

That was a pretty launch. What was it? #MMS #AtlasV launch #CapeLife #MeatballMarinaraSub

Another mission that I have no clue about has successfully launched from Cape Canaveral! But now that I've watched "MMS" launch I'm going to look up what the Magical Moonlight Spaceship acronym stands for and the cool science it will perform. It's a NASA science mission right? The point I'm trying to make is that launches can inspire everyone to learn more about space exploration. Image this scenario... An unknown rocket roaring in the distance soars into the night sky as a young child pulls back their blinds to watch the blinding glow of it's fiery engines and wonders where it is going, and what it will see. In the coming weeks as the child learns about their first launch by the images being returned to Earth, they wonder when they will get to rocket into space...

MMS, the Meatball Marinara Sub soars into space over Cape Canaveral. The composite includes four 30-second exposures. The Big Dipper shines bright in the upper right of the photo.

I just learned what MMS stands for by adding the official stats. 4 spacecraft! Cool!

March 12/13Atlas 5 • MMS

Launch window: 0244-0314 GMT on 13th (10:44-11:14 p.m. EDT on 12th)

Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, mission. The Magnetospheric Multiscale mission will use four identical spacecraft, variably spaced in Earth orbit, to make three-dimensional measurements of magnetospheric boundary regions and examine the process of magnetic reconnection. The rocket will fly in the 421 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, two solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from Nov. 26. [Sept. 3]

Space!

Ryan

#MUOS3 launch on #AtlasV from the ITL Causeway

A spectacular night launch once again (really, can a night launch suck?) and I watched with my friend Ryan from the CCAFS ITL Causeway. I have to admit that I didn't read up on the launch before hand, but I did know there were 5 solid rockets in this Atlas configuration. This was the 31st launch since Jen and I moved to Florida in Sept. 2012, 28 of which I've watched (29 if you include hearing it in the middle of the night).

I'm pretty happy about this fluke exposure during the launch countdown and I inadvertently learned a zoom trick for focusing the lens. 

This is a composite of two 30-second exposures overlaid on a dark exposure. Playing with the filters, this one stood out as a fire bird heading to space.

The rocket is actually heading towards the bottom of the image. Orion is in the top right corner. There are three 30-second exposures overlaid.

The official stats:

Jan. 20/21Atlas 5 • MUOS 3

Launch time: 0043-0127 GMT on 21st (7:43-8:27 p.m. EST on 20th)

Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-052, will launch the third Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite for the U.S. Navy. Built by Lockheed Martin, this U.S. military spacecraft will provide narrowband tactical communications designed to significantly improve ground communications for U.S. forces on the move. The rocket will fly in the 551 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, five solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. [Jan. 12]

Space!

Ryan

#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

GPS 2F-8 Launch on Atlas 5 - Smooth Florida sailing in shadow of Orbital's Anatres explosion

United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched their Atlas 5 this afternoon with a GPS satellite as the payload (GPS 2F-8 or #GPSIIF8). This launch is a tribute to Florida’s amazing track record of safety and operations in lieu of Orbital’s catastrophic  rocket explosion last night in Virginia. The Orbital explosion of Antares may have caused significant damage to their only launchpad. The failure will require an accident investigation before they can start rebuilding, which may hurt their business significantly as commercial customers migrate towards Florida to launch on +SpaceX's Falcon 9 or overseas. SpaceX will be the only Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) provider for NASA to the International Space Station for the near-term, which will cause shifting in payloads manifested, and could trickle-down to payloads being delayed or costs going up as the supply capability reduces. As payloads jockey for position, the true economic impact to the space coast will occur in December during the Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1). Hotels across the coast are already sold out (including our floor space) and Florida is expecting "Shuttle-like" crowds. This mission is a simple two-orbit profile, but is a critical step in returning launching human spaceflight from the USA.

Another successful launch from the space coast. My 28th in 25 months since moving here.

Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket exploded shortly after clearing the tower at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. It was en route to the International Space Station as a resupply mission loaded with consumables for the crew, science, and secondary payloads. Photo Credit: NASA HQ

The official stats:

Oct. 29	Atlas 5  •  GPS 2F-8
Launch time: 1721 GMT (1:21 p.m. EDT) Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launched the Air Force's eighth Block 2F navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The rocket flew in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. See our Mission Status Center. [Oct. 29]

Space!

Ryan

CLIO launch to space on an Atlas 5

Seth and I watched from the CCAFS ITL Causeway, it was his first launch up close even though he has lived in Florida his whole life. The window started at 5:44pm and the weather delays pushed it right to the window end at 8:10pm. It was a beautiful night launch. I was busy giving everyone around us updates and unfortunately I had my camera turned off for the most important few minutes, the actual launch! That photo-miss left a bitter taste in my mouth, but that would be soon forgotten with the upcoming SpaceX launch of CRS-4! I did happen to get the launch on my iPhone in "HD" and it was really cool to be able to see the rocket's flame through the cloud deck as it streaked away and punched through each layer. It's also fun to watch the lens flare in the video. We also saw a large alligator swimming back and forth along the inlet watching the launch watchers. There was a Dolphin to the south as well for the full nature show. Seth was super excited about the experience (so was I except missing the photo) and that's what launch viewing is all about!

Rocket avec gator.

Whoops! This was an unfortunate user error...

The official stats:

Sept. 16/17	Atlas 5  •  CLIO
Launch time: 0010 GMT on 17th (8:10 p.m. EDT on 16th) Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-049, launched the CLIO mission on a commercial flight for a U.S. government customer. See our Mission Status Center. [Sept. 16]

Space!

Ryan

My first missed launch while being in Florida, but at least I was playing ice hockey! #GPS2F7 on #AtlasV

Friday night I was on the ice playing hockey, yes ice hockey in Florida, so I missed my first launch ever while being in the same location/State. Apparently one of my teammates felt the building rumble. Next time I'll have to wear my digital sports watch and set an alarm. Douglas Adams would not approve of me not wearing my Timex 24/7. I was tempted to set an alarm, throw on skate guards, and "run" outside, but there will be plenty more launches to witness. At least I was able to capture a few photos of the rocket on the launchpad during the #SpaceInterns tour of CCAFS/KSC earlier this summer (Photo from 21 July).

A drive by of SLC (or LC) 41 and a view of GPS 2F-7 on top of a Atlas 5 rocket. This was the only view of the rocket I saw since I was playing hockey during the launch late Friday night.

The official Spaceflightnow.com summary:

Aug. 1/2	Atlas 5  •  GPS 2F-7
Launch window: 0323 GMT on 2nd (11:23 p.m. EDT on 1st) Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launched the Air Force's seventh Block 2F navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The rocket flew in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from July 31. See our Mission Status Center. [Aug. 1]

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