Sometimes you need to rest and let the rockets fly as they may #JCSAT14 #SpaceX #Falcon9

Even though it would have taken a simple alarm and sitting up in bed to look at the window, we missed this launch as we were all sick and needed our rest. I actually thought that we would be woken up by the rumble, but not this time. With a long launch window as well, it could have turned into a very long night. Just to gauge how sick we were, I stayed home from hockey the previous Friday night and I rarely miss hockey! I did head dow to Port Canaveral to snap a few photos of the first stage after it returned from landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. It was an impressive site to see the scale of the first stage compared to the tiny workers at it's business end preparing the hardware to get loaded on a flatbed truck a few days later. Another notable milestone is that this may have been the 50th launch since Jen and I moved to Florida in Sept 2012. I will need to check the stats and figure out when the 50th launch we "not miss" will occur. As I write this month-late blog entry, another first stage has arrived at the Port! The pace of space is picking up, and the place for space is the Space Coast!

Twitter original text: She's still got legs. SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage at Port Canaveral from #JCSAT14 launch. #CapeLife #Falcon9 #SpaceX

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

SpaceX picturesque sunset launch of #SES9

The +SpaceX launch of #SES9 was delayed and scrubbed several times as the SpaceX teamed worked hard to cool the liquid propellant to maximize performance of the rocket. They also were unlucky with a boat in the "Danga Zone" on one of their attempts. Luckily for us, we were out of town or indoors for two of their attempts.

This photo composite was taken with 2-sec bursts (too bright for longer exposures).

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!

Sonic boom finale in spectacular @SpaceX return to flight mission! #LZ1 #OG2 #LC40 #RTF

On the longest night of the year, +SpaceX lit up the sky twice by launching and landing a rocket in Florida!

In this photo composition, the Falcon 9 rocket streaks to space (on the left) and ~8-10 minutes later (on the right) it's first stage returns to Earth for a safe landing. My tweet of this photo reached over 8,000 people last night alone. With all the launch gazers on the space coast (and further in Florida and online all over the world) sending out their photos and thoughts, just imagine how this multiplier effect could reach and inspire the next Elon(a) Musk(s).

#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.

#IAC2015: A family affair. A.k.a. Rafi goes overseas for 1st time!

In several circles within the space industry, we compassionately refer to ourselves as a "Space Family" or in the +International Space University's (ISU) case, the "Space Mafia". My 2015 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) experience in Jerusalem, Israel this year was truly a space family affair. Jen, Rafi and I explored Jerusalem before the IAC and then afterwards my parents toured with us across the desert and into Jordan. The reason my family came to the IAC (besides a spectacular location to visit) was to attend my induction into the +International Astronautical Federation's Young Space Leaders Recognition Programme during the Closing Ceremony. I would like to thank Drs. David Spencer (Penn State), David Klaus (U. Colorado-Boulder), Percy Luney (Space Florida) and Ken Street, Jr. (+NASA Glenn) for nominating me for this prestigious award and to the IAF for selecting me! To learn more about the award and selection criteria, please visit this IAF website. I was the first Canadian and 5th American to win the award. I would also like to thank +Yuri's Night and +Space Florida for their travel support and allowing me to wear two-hats at one event. Representing both entities was extremely advantageous as most people I talked to would ask about one entity and then the conversation would lead to talking about both.

Many people complemented Jen and I for bringing the baby to Israel and the conference, to which I jokingly and proudly replied "If we can't bring a baby to the Promised Land, then we won't be able to send humans to Mars!" The moral of the story is that "We can (and did) bring a baby to Israel, therefore we can send humans to Mars!" The conference was surrounded by local violence, but the international attendees banded harmoniously together to work on our future goals of reaching the cosmos together. Here are a few photo highlights from the 2015 IAC:

Custom hardware. Also, a special YSL/IAF pin was given to us. To learn more about the 2015 winners, please visit this IAF website.