BS: Launch on East Coast US

Subject: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 12:43 PM

Nighttime rocket launch to be visible on U.S. East Coast

An Orbital Sciences-built Antares rocket stands atop its launch pad at sunrise on Oct. 26, 2014, one day ahead of a planned evening launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. NASA/JOEL KOWSKY

If you live along the U.S. East Coast, you have a great opportunity to see a rocket launch from your own backyard Monday evening, Oct. 27, but you'll need to know when and where to look to spot the brilliant liftoff.

Early Monday evening, a commercial Antares rocket built by the Orbital Sciences Corp. is due to blast off at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT) from a pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. It is the first-ever night launch of the two-stage Antares rocket, and the flight could be visible from Massachusetts to South Carolina, weather permitting.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nighttime-rocket-launch-to-be-visible-on-u-s-east-coast/

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Mrrzy
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 03:14 PM

Coolio! I'll take my class out.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Rapparee
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 05:40 PM

Wish I was there....

Except for my distant youthful excesses and firing a 3.5 inch rocket launcher I've never seen a rocket launch.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: EBarnacle
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 09:37 PM

Launch was postponed due to a sailboat wandering into the marine exclusion zone. More news later.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 06:36 AM

Next try Tonight 6:22 PM Eastern time

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 05:20 PM

There's a place in Ohio called Camp Perry -- it's near Cedar Point. The military has a shooting range there at which they fire everything for pistols to mortars and if someone misses the zone behind the targets includes a small chunk of Lake Erie. The zone is a "no trespassing for any reason" area, of course.

The Coast Guard regularly arrests boaters who have deliberately gone into this "beaten zone" to see the shooting. When a boat goes there the shooting stops so there's nothing to see until the Coasties show up.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: bobad
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 05:56 PM

The Antares rocket just exploded immediately after takeoff. I guess that NASA will have to rely on the Russians to resupply the ISS. YouTube

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Jack Campin
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 06:55 PM

"Sitting on top of 50,000 parts, each of them supplied by the lowest bidder".

Up there in the irony department with the Herald of Free Enterprise.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: michaelr
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 09:15 PM

Oops. Are the Russians still cooperating with NASA?

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 09:26 PM

The video reminds me of the failed Vanguard launch.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 01:03 PM

Well the people watching got a great fireworks show. Wonder how many billions we lost

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Rapparee
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 02:14 PM

We didn't. Private rocket, private company.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Musket
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 02:22 PM

I wonder if the OP would have put "brilliant lift off" with 20/20 hindsight?

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 02:36 PM

Wonder how many billions we lost?
We didn't. Private rocket, private company.

$123 million, it seems.

The private company was paid out of public funds. That's the whole point of privatization/contracting-out of public enterprises like NASA or the British NHS.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 02:59 PM

It's rather more the question of the unholy scramble now happening to get replacement stores up there before they run out. It's expensive using the escape Soyuz.
Prime bet is the UAV shuttle came back a couple of weeks ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 03:10 PM

Remind me not to hitch a space ride with them

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 03:16 PM

Taxpayers also paid private companiesfor all tthe great weapons we left for isis

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 04:51 PM

What Jack said. A marvellous demonstration of the benefits of privatisation and capitalism.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 07:07 AM

On a less cynical note: Six high school students from a New Jersey STEM {Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, for you folks outside the US] program will be allowed to replace their study on infection on a future satellite launch.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: GUEST,chester
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 09:34 AM

"Russia dosent make anything" Duh! What exploded was a 40 year old Russian engine. Why?
"An Orbital executive complained there aren't more modern alternatives.l to the decades-old engines, the Guardian reported. "When you look at it there are not many other options around the world in terms of using power plants of this size," said Frank Culbertson"

However the Russians were able to launch a backup from the same Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan that the US com satellite companys employ, using modern Russian equipment.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 09:35 AM

I had not realized until I looked at Wallops Island on Google Earth, how close that launch pad is to Chincoteague Island and various marinas & occupied areas. It seems to me that it would not take TOO much of a problem to have a real disaster. I'm sure the 'experts' have decided they have everything planned...but....

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: Jack Campin
Date: 31 Oct 14 - 02:55 PM

Meanwhile in California:

Virgin is fucked

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: GUEST,#
Date: 31 Oct 14 - 03:52 PM

Here ya go.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Nov 14 - 07:52 AM

Press release




"(Dulles, VA 5 November 2014) – Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB),
one of the world's leading space technology companies, today announced
comprehensive plans to fulfill its contract commitments under NASA's
Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program as well as to accelerate an
upgrade of the Antares medium-class launcher's main propulsion system.
Under the new approach and in line with Orbital's existing CRS contract,
all remaining cargo will be delivered to the International Space Station
(ISS) by the end of 2016. There will be no cost increase to NASA and only
minor adjustments will be needed to the cargo manifest in the near term.

Orbital's Antares launch failure Accident Investigation Board (AIB) is
making good progress in determining the primary cause of last week's
failure.   A preliminary review of telemetry and video data has been
conducted and substantial debris from the Antares rocket and its Cygnus
payload has been collected and examined.   While the work of the AIB
continues, preliminary evidence and analysis conducted to date points to a
probable turbopump-related failure in one of the two Aerojet Rocketdyne
AJ26 stage one main engines. As a result, the use of these engines for the
Antares vehicle likely will be discontinued.

To maintain the CRS program's critical ISS supply line, Orbital plans an
early introduction of its previously selected Antares propulsion system
upgrade in 2016. This will be preceded by one or two non-Antares launches
of the company's Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the ISS in 2015-2016, employing
the spacecraft's compatibility with various launch vehicles and its
flexibility to accommodate heavier cargo loads as launcher capacity
permits.   In addition, the company expects repairs to the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport (MARS) launch complex at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility
to be undertaken quickly, allowing launch operations to continue at Wallops
Island with the upgraded Antares beginning in 2016.

"Orbital is taking decisive action to fulfill our commitments to NASA in
support of safe and productive operations of the Space Station. While last
week's Antares failure was very disappointing to all of us, the company is
already implementing a contingency plan to overcome this setback. We
intend to move forward safely but also expeditiously to put our CRS cargo
program back on track and to accelerate the introduction of our upgraded
Antares rocket," said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital's Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer.

"Exact financial impacts to Orbital will depend on which of several
specific options for near-term launches is selected, but they are not
expected to be material on an annual basis in 2015. In all cases, no
significant adverse effects are projected in 2016 or future years, in part
because the cost of the Antares propulsion system upgrade was already part
of our internal investment plan during that time," he added.

"We very much appreciate the tremendous support Orbital has received from
NASA and Virginia's MARS commercial spaceport team over the last seven
years on our Antares rocket and CRS cargo programs. We look forward to
working closely with them to quickly recover from last week's setback,"
Thompson concluded.

Subject: RE: BS: Launch on East Coast US
From: GUEST,chester
Date: 06 Nov 14 - 07:34 AM

Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 stage one main engine
learn rocket science: Youtube