Day 4283

Today got off to a good start. I woke up early enough to have some French Toast for breakfast and take a shower before making the sunrise drive from Titusville to Kennedy Space Center to set up remote cameras for the launch. I don't set up remote cameras myself because I don't have any I can afford to lose. I've heard too many stories about cameras that were ruined by being out in the rain overnight or by wind blown rocket fuel during the launch. This is always your best chance to get close up pictures of the rocket though. If you are lucky, you can get really close to the pad. 

We were lucky this morning because Space X allowed us inside the fence at Pad 39A. This rarely happens on NASA launches. Space X definitely does things a little differently than NASA. Usually there is only a small handful of photographers setting remote cameras on a NASA launch. This morning there must have been almost a hundred people waiting to get on five large busses. 

I was surprised that we were riding in busses to the launch pad. I've been to one NASA launch during Covid and we all formed a convoy and followed a NASA vehicle to the viewing location in our own cars. We even had to social distance our cars when we got to the location. A photographer waiting to get on the bus with me said he thought it was too early for busses. He said he got on a Space X bus during a recent Starlink launch and the bus driver had Covid. Apparently the entire bus had to be quarantined for 14 days. We all wore masks while we were out at the pad this morning but a lot of people in Florida don't. 

Our bus was delayed this morning because somebody forgot to call the bomb sniffing dog. We unloaded all our bags and waited. You can tell the handlers really love their dogs. Most military dogs are Belgian Malinois. They look a lot like German Shepards, but are stronger and more athletic. Today's dog was smaller than usual and looked very young. He was extremely well trained though. I'm always impressed by these dogs. 

I asked if we could come later to view the launch this evening than the 3 PM arrival time mentioned in one of the Space X messages I received. The earliest the rocket was scheduled to launch this evening was 8 PM. That's a long time to be out in the sun. "You can come whenever you want," the Space X representative told me. "If you don't come early though, you'll probably get caught in a traffic jam and end up waiting over an hour to get through the guard gate." I decided to leave early.

I should have waited because the crowds were apparently all Space X VIP's and they went somewhere else to view the launch. I sailed through the guard gate. We could see the VIP's off in the distance in their own special tent. I think Elon was there. When I got to the launch site I saw the astronauts driving to the launch pad in their white Teslas. Unfortunately, I hadn't gotten set up yet and my camera was still in the trunk of the rental car. The guys who were doing the Netflix documentary about the launch were there with a satellite truck and and an elaborate enclosure for their gear and on-camera talent. They were going to live stream the final episode of the series. My setup was pretty simple by comparison, but I did find a good place to take pictures and was very happy with the results. Everything seemed to go perfectly on this launch. There were no delays at all. The launch took place right on schedule and it was quite beautiful.

I enjoyed this trip. I reconnected with some space photographer friends that I hadn't seen in a while and at least for the moment, it kind of seemed like I was back in the game. Now I"ve got to go write my article,
 

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4278

I got a message from Space X today saying that I had been credentialed to cover the upcoming Inspiration 4 launch. This was a surprise. Somewhat short notice too. I had applied for a press pass so long ago that I'd almost forgotten about it. I think I'm going to go. Hotel, flights to Orlando, and rental cars are all still available. The new editor at SpaceFlight said he had been planning to write the article about the launch himself, but that it would be better coming from someone who was actually there. So it looks like I've got a job to do too. So far, it's all looking good. I just hope the launch doesn't get postponed after I've already arrived in Florida. That can get expensive.

I've been hearing horror stories all Summer about the cost and availability of rental cars and hotel rooms. Rental car rates are about the same as they've always been and the hotel and airfare are actually less expensive than the last time I went to Kennedy Space Center. I guess you can't believe everything you read.

The weather has been beautiful all week. We had a nice sunrise walk with Dawn, although she made it clear that she didn't want to go exploring this morning. I could tell she was going to make a right turn and take the short route home at least 100 yards before we reached the turn. I was still able to take my long walk right after breakfast and stay reasonably cool. It's not jacket weather yet, but I really think Summer is just about over.

Although the message from Space X was a big surprise, the rest of my day was fairly uneventful. My long walk eats up two hours and I probably spend the same amount of time napping. This afternoon I spent quite a while checking prices and making reservations. The rental car website crashed and I had to call to make a reservation. I called the hotel front desk, but my reservation never got recorded on my phone app. More calls tomorrow I guess. I tried to reschedule a doctor's appointment only to discover that the office closed at 4 PM and they had no voicemail. I need to remember to do this on Monday.

Dawn still seems indignant when Janet leaves the house and she has to spend the day with me. She isn't scared of me. She just doesn't seem to like me very much. She followed me outside after I returned from my walk because I knew she needed to pee. Generally, she just ignores anything I say. Dawn is a very smart dog though. I'm amazed at what Janet has been able to teach her at training class. I attribute all this to the old adage about old dogs and new tricks. Dawn is an old dog and she was mistreated by the two men who used her for breeding for a long time. We get along though. I never really expected everyone to like me.

It's time to make a grocery list again. The end of smoothies has changed things up a bit. I'm not sure how much fruit to buy anymore. Maybe this is all for the best. I've noticed that I don't have as many problems with heartburn now that I don't drink breakfast smoothies. This makes no sense though. A bowl of chili is supposed to give you heartburn, not a fruit smoothie.

I hope the weather stays nice through the weekend. I definitely don't want to start worrying about roof leaks again.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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