In reply to ChrisTropea :
Debating that as well. Although, it is just a 10-minute drive to the beach....
In reply to ChrisTropea :
Debating that as well. Although, it is just a 10-minute drive to the beach....
I'd go see it if I had the chance. It's a big fella, and at night it should be pretty spectacular. With those big solids it should be pretty sporty too.
Both tanks are at 95% full, they are on track to light this thing.
And we plan to watch. Hopefully the sky is clear enough. The big question: Here or down by the water?
Beach!
Although at one 24 we watched a shuttle go up from the wings bar just outside the track. 
There was an issue with some hydrogen recovery something but they were able to fix it on the pad. Should still be green light. I may fall asleep first.
Took a nap, heading to the beach in half an hour or so. Kinda cloudy out but we'll see.
I am watching the live feed. In case anyone is awake (posted at 30 min to launch)
I lived in Central Florida for a few decades. I never missed a launch. The last one I saw was as exciting as the first one. I'm too far away to see it now, but I'll be watching the stream.
Here we go! T minus 7 minutes!!
Hot dog, pigs do fly!
So according to the commentators, one of the things causing the T- 10:00 hold was the need to replace an Ethernet switch in the range safety system. I write software for a big networking company, and all I could think was "Man, I hope that's not one of ours!" :)
Also, I think NASA needs to talk to SpaceX about borrowing some of their camera technology. Canned animations of the upper stages are way less cool than live camera shots from inside the fairings.
Trans Lunar Injection isn't for 90 min. Nothing to see anyway.
Fun to see what is effectively a repeat of Apollo 8 (lunched in December of 1968)
That was bright!
That whole NASA broadcast was an embarrassment.
This is a damn space launch! Give me technical info! I don't give a rat's ass about the self-congratulatory human interest BS.
How could you have spent untold billions on the launch and have worse camera systems than Apollo?
The canned graphics were a joke. It's like nobody cared about the broadcast beyond how it appealed to the emotions of the viewers, except the 'talent' they hired drained any excitement and gravitas the moment could have had. It's like the whole broadcast was designed for 4th grader comprehension and emotional development levels.
SpaceX with the broadcast budget I can find in my sofa does a better job.
At least the rocket went up OK, not like you could tell because they cutoff the post-orbit stuff for another self-congratulatory speech before the mission even left Earth orbit.
And some pics.
We started off at the beach, but it just looked hazy. 
Then the hold.
So, we figured, let's go to the bridge over the Intracoastal. The view looked less obstructed when we drove over it en route to the beach.
Finally, the hold was lifted.
And then we watched the sun rise.
Liftoff.
And into the clouds.
Then the sky went black. Still, the brightest launch I can recall since seeing the Shuttle take off at night from just across the Intracoastal. Not much of a rumble this time, though.
Worth being up until 2:27 a.m. and counting....
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Thanks for the photos!
You're welcome. The pre-launch photos are taken with my iPhone. The actual launch photos taken with a Canon 7D Mk II with a 70-200mm f/2.8 and a 1.4x converter. I have more. When I wake up, I'll go through them.
But, yeah, wow it was bright. Can't imagine what it would have been like if not for the clouds. Probably could have read a book out there.
Oh, and photos taken in Ormond Beach, so about an hour north of the Space Center.
aircooled said:Trans Lunar Injection isn't for 90 min. Nothing to see anyway.
Fun to see what is effectively a repeat of Apollo 8 (lunched in December of 1968)
Very different lunar orbit - and no occupants :)
David S. Wallens said:You're welcome. The pre-launch photos are taken with my iPhone. The actual launch photos taken with a Canon 7D Mk II with a 70-200mm f/2.8 and a 1.4x converter. I have more. When I wake up, I'll go through them.
But, yeah, wow it was bright. Can't imagine what it would have been like if not for the clouds. Probably could have read a book out there.
Awesome. That's amazing that you can see the rocket an hour away from where it launched. How did it sound?
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Not much of a roar this time. The sound arrives 4-6 minutes after we see it. The wind could have obscured the sound, too, but this one seemed quieter than usual. Sometimes it's a loud roar, sometimes it almost gets lost in the background.
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