Antares launch from Wallops, VA at 12:52pm EST. 7/13

[Motokid600]

Wow I almost missed this one. Completely forgot about it.

https://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-2/

Weather is beautiful here on the east coast it's looking good to go. I live down the shore in New Jersey so I get to see all these launches. Only thing that sucks is, well... LIQUID ROCKETS SUCK TO SEE IN THE AFTERNOON SUN AHHH ( unless your there ) AHHHH... Sorry.. was kinda bumbed when I first saw the launch time. Night launches are much more fun.

Hope all goes well. I'll be watching reguardless. If you know where too look you can catch the initial smoke trail, but that's about it.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Motokid600

[Aethon]

Ninja'd you by three minutes in a previous thread. Like minds think great! Have some rep.

Also interested to see if we get merged. You can't drop anything in 'general' with out getting posted somewhere else but I wonder if things get modded here.

Edit- Wow, Nice image! I posted this in another thread the other day, but my best friend of 20 years (with whom I almost have a twin language) didn't get it without a road map and a flashlight, so I'll rephrase it a bit.

Sometimes when a man is really excited about something, (like spaceflight) he has a certain physiological... reaction...

Edit2-30 min to launch. Still a go. They just said the IS Station will be passing over NW Australia at launch. Interesting.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Aethon

[shynung]

That's their Cygnus craft, I presume? I hope it goes well.

[Motokid600]

Oh its in general you say? I'm sorry I usually only look in either science or other when it comes to launches. Well.. yea if a mod like to merge them or just delete this one I don't mind.

Oh there it is in the Lounge. Yea sorry about that.

As for your physiological reaction.. have you by chance had the privilege of seeing a launch at the pad? I'd imagine that to be pretty.. moving.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Motokid600

[Aethon]

No I'm right below you, but yours is shaping up better. Funny how we both were going through the same processes at the same time. Separated by unknown miles.

Hope you don't mind but I'll just leave this here.

http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html

[Motokid600]

Yea I was gonna link the nasatv stream myself. That works. I'm not even gonna bother going outside to look for this one. Very hazey horizon and it looks even hazier at the launch site.

[lajoswinkler]

Go, go, go! One minute.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#

[Motokid600]

Beautiful flight.

Questions!

How do they control attitude with the interstage fairing still attatched during coast?

CAMERAS CAMERAS CAMERAS! WTF! Why aren't these.. ALL rockets loaded with onboard cameras?! Atleast one looking back at the ground... C'Mon.. I wanna see Cygnus separate as well >.<

Load up the cameras and televise this stuff! Best thing for public interest. These launches.. there so short why can't local news stations boardcast it ( with the onboard cameras views )? Just for 10min. Not even that..

Edited July 13, 2014 by Motokid600

[lajoswinkler]

Well, that was boring, except the animation right after second stage ignition, which looked like the Kraken in KSP.

[sal_vager]

Well, that was boring

I for one am glad it didn't turn into a Kerbal style rocket launch

[Cosmos3110]

The first stage was coming back for revenge on the Castor B for leaving it behind.

[Aethon]

Wow.

Reflections: Holy cow is it just me or did that thing almost not get off the pad? I mean I understand that's exactly what you want but with the wind like it was, it looked like she almost blew into the launch arm.

They said it was in a 290mi x 160ish mi orbit and the ISS orbits at 205 mi. Interesting.

So what did they do with the second stage booster (which I thought was solid fueled- I don't have to look it up 'cause one of you fine people'll tell me.)??? Please tell me they de-orbited it! But how so if it's solid fueled?

There's no excuse for leaving crap like that in orbit, even though it won't be there that long. I've got a full tech tree and sat's around Jool (ie post Jool arrival time) but only have 5 pieces of (interplanetary) debris in Kerbol orbit (which there is really no excuse for either other than laziness and sub optimal engineering. I shoulda crashed them into the destination bodies.).

Edited July 14, 2014 by Aethon

[Aethon]

Beautiful flight.

Questions!

How do they control attitude with the interstage fairing still attatched during coast?

CAMERAS CAMERAS CAMERAS! WTF! Why aren't these.. ALL rockets loaded with onboard cameras?! Atleast one looking back at the ground... C'Mon.. I wanna see Cygnus separate as well >.<

Load up the cameras and televise this stuff! Best thing for public interest. These launches.. there so short why can't local news stations boardcast it ( with the onboard cameras views )? Just for 10min. Not even that..

Just like you do, reaction wheels and thrusters.

Cameras : AAAAAAAAAGREEEED! Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot... (over)

[Motokid600]

I never figured on reaction wheels. But it looked as if the thrusters were blocked by the IS fairing.

[R0cketC0der]

Wow.

Reflections: Holy cow is it just me or did that thing almost not get off the pad? I mean I understand that that's exactly what you want but with the wind like it was, it looked like she almost blew into the launch arm.

They said it was in a 290mi x 160ish mi orbit and the ISS orbits at 205 mi. Interesting.

So what did they do with the second stage booster (which I thought was solid fueled- I don't have to look it up 'cause one of you fine people'll tell me.)??? Please tell me they de-orbited it! But how so if it's solid fueled?

There's no excuse for leaving crap like that in orbit, even though it won't be there that long. I've got a full tech tree and sat's around Jool (ie post Jool arrival time) but only have 5 pieces of (interplanetary) debris in Kerbol orbit (which there is really no excuse for either other than laziness and sub optimal engineering. I shoulda crashed them into the destination bodies.).

In real life, upper stages usually just get left in orbit or get boosted into graveyard orbits. The orbits of LEO debris will decay pretty rapidly and there is no problem leaving it up there.

[Aethon]

In real life, upper stages usually just get left in orbit or get boosted into graveyard orbits. The orbits of LEO debris will decay pretty rapidly and there is no problem leaving it up there.

Hmrph. There's still no excuse. Five or six more Major collisions in NEO and we may be trapped on this rock for thousands of years.

[Kryten]

Reflections: Holy cow is it just me or did that thing almost not get off the pad? I mean I understand that that's exactly what you want but with the wind like it was, it looked like she almost blew into the launch arm.

That's a maneuver to avoid bits of the pad infrastructure; it happens every Antares launch.

[R0cketC0der]

Hmrph. There's still no excuse. Five or six more Major collisions in NEO and we may be trapped on this rock for thousands of years.

Still, there shouldn't be any need to worry about debris when talking about that low altitudes. The lower stage will likely reenter in less that a month, maximum two months. There's no "thousands of years" to worry about there.

[Aethon]

Still, there shouldn't be any need to worry about debris when talking about that low altitudes. The lower stage will likely reenter in less that a month, maximum two months. There's no "thousands of years" to worry about there.

Should be a space law. Required to have enough RCS and 1 damn thruster to reenter. The thruster can be on the prograde side, opposite the engine, so no yaw/pitch maneuver. If something hits it (I know, small chance) then it becomes a thousand pieces instead of just one. The only excuse would be an on orbit refuel depository where unburned reserve fuel goes.

Sure glad I typed all that out.. (kidding) try this: http://www.space.com/82-taurus-2-rocket-and-cygnus-spacecraft.html

Edited July 13, 2014 by Aethon

[Sky_walker]

If something hits it (I know, small chance) then it becomes a thousand pieces instead of just one.

Depends on an angle, but with a bit of luck: It'll only accelerate orbital decay.

Collisions are nowhere near dangerous as using explosives (which can accelerate fragments to much higher orbits) from ASAT weapons as missile flies from the earth, so it hits the satellite bottom-rear (in relation to earth) creating potentially VERY dangerous cloud of derbies, some of which might be pushed to a very long term orbits.

However this kind of collision from a space debris or another satellite / dumped module is extremely unlikely.

You worry too much. Real life is not KSP.

[Aethon]

Weather is beautiful here on the east coast it's looking good to go. I live down the shore in New Jersey so I get to see all these launches. Only thing that sucks is, well... LIQUID ROCKETS SUCK TO SEE IN THE AFTERNOON SUN AHHH ( unless your there ) AHHHH... Sorry.. was kinda bumbed when I first saw the launch time. Night launches are much more fun.

Awww. I wish I had some of your problems... :^{)

[Aethon]

Depends on an angle, but with a bit of luck: It'll only accelerate orbital decay.

You worry too much. Real life is not KSP.

Ahh! Look translating language nuance is into print is difficult. I will never personally attack anyone unless forced, I will however strongly disagree and take a contrary position.

I couldn't disagree more.

http://www.space.com/3415-china-anti-satellite-test-worrisome-debris-cloud-circles-earth.html

We do a number of very simple dumb things in our (USA) space program. (At the risk of opening a whole can of whoop ass to rain down upon me), for example not having a mountain top, equatorial space port- no on orbit reserve fuel depository etc. Yes I know there are problems associated with these, but one of Humanities major short comings is the inability to extrapolate the consequences of it's actions into the future.

[Kryten]

The expenses of keeping a launch site on a mountaintop would far outweigh the savings from the minor performance increase; and where exactly is the US even supposed to build an equatorial site?

[Motokid600]

What was the parking orbit after second stage burn out?

[Aethon]

Can't remember for sure. It all happens so fast. No chance for a screen shot-er, well u know.

They said it was in a 290mi x 160ish mi orbit and the ISS orbits at 205 mi.

The expenses of keeping a launch site on a mountaintop would far outweigh the savings from the minor performance increase; and where exactly is the US even supposed to build an equatorial site?

Eeek. The expenses of keeping an imperialistic, ready to act force in over 109 separate countries far outweighs that of keeping a space port. Lease something from the Ecuadorians like we did with the Panama canal. Build some infrastructure, bring 'em some jobs... It's a win win. Can't my tax dollars go for something I want??!!