Day 3470

The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful place on a clear night. When we arrived at our destination on the shores of the Banana River around 1 AM, a copper colored moon was just starting to rise on the Eastern Horizon. Behind us, Jupiter was shining brightly just above the constellation of Scorpio. The sky was dark enough that I could actually see the Milky Way for the first time in years. Directly ahead, something else was shining brightly on the horizon. It was the Falcon Heavy rocket bathed in searchlights at launch pad 39A.

The launch was supposed to take place at 11:30 PM yesterday evening, but got delayed for three hours because of a minor technical problem on the pad. There was a lot of nervousness within our group as we began to hear rumors of the delay. When the countdown clock stopped and went dark, we were afraid that the launch might be canceled. When the rumors began circulating, we were scattered between Cocoa Beach and Titusville eating dinner before returning to meet the bus that would take us to our viewing location.  Lots of messages went back and forth before a new plan was announced. The launch would still take place and had been rescheduled for 2:30 AM this morning.

We were prepared for something dramatic, but the launch exceeded everyone's expectations. When the countdown clock reached zero, there was an intense flash of light on the horizon. An enormous trail of fire rose quickly into the sky, followed about ten seconds later by the thundering sound of 27 Merlin engines. Literally in a matter of seconds, darkness was turned into day.

Night launches are spectacular because you can see the rocket much longer. As the Falcon Heavy climbed in a graceful arc toward orbit, we could clearly follow the rocket all the way through stage separation and second stage ignition. The return of the two side boosters to Space X Landing Zones 1 and 2 was amazing. The two side boosters began their boostback burn almost directly over our heads.  Less than a minute later we saw the second stage engine start. The side boosters continued to fall rapidly as the second stage slowly faded from sight. About seven minutes after liftoff, the two side boosters simultaneously began their entry burn and started to slow down rapidly as they approached the landing zone. We saw puffs of smoke from the rockets exhausts rising from the landing zone indicating a successful landing and less than a second later heard two incredibly loud sonic booms. Sound travels slowly and the sonic booms arrived at our location after the boosters had actually landed.

Although the center core failed to land on a drone ship positioned over 1,000 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean, the mission was a huge success. The side boosters which had already been used before on a previous Falcon Heavy mission proved their worth again. All of the 24 satellites were deployed successfully. The brilliant people we talked to during the past two days who had spent years and years developing these payloads must have been very happy this morning.

Our little group of social media mavens were happy too. For many of us this was a dream come true. We had been up for over 24 hours, but I'm sure that some of us were already making plans in our mind to do this again. It is inspiring to see people succeed at doing something so complicated. As I returned to my hotel to pack my bags and return to Dallas, I felt like I had made some new friends and witnessed something important. I'm not always a positive person, but I felt good as I was flying home today. If humans can do something this complicated just by working together, we can do anything.

Shiner is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3469

The weather looks beautiful and the launch is still on for tonight. Amazingly, we were granted direct access to Pad 39A today and got a close up look at the Falcon Heavy rocket during final preparations for launch. To get this close we went through laver after layer of security. When our group got off the bus, everyone was astonished. Nobody gets this close. We were all very careful to follow instructions. When we were told not to cross certain lines, nobody did. 39A is the same launch pad where dozens of space shuttle flights began their journey. Numerous Apollo missions were launched here as well. Now, Space X has a long term lease on the pad and many future missions will begin here. There is a lot of history in this place and a lot of history yet to be made.

Launch Complex 39 was built during the Apollo era. Pads 39A and 39B were originally identical and were meant to be used for the Saturn 5 program. After the Apollo program ended, the facilities were modified to be used for the Space Shuttle. Every shuttle launch began their journey here. Now these historic launch facilities are being modified again. 39A has been reconfigured by Space X to be used for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches and 39B is currently being refurbished to be used by the new Space Launch System that will take us back to the moon.

We got very close to 39A when we were looking at the Falcon Heavy rocket on the pad. We got even closer to 39B. The director of the launch complex took us right up on the pad itself and we got to walk around on it. The size and scope of both these facilities is impressive. There are huge round tanks for liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel. Some of the steel used in the facility is three inches thick. Each pad has a large water tower that is completely emptied during each launch to cool the pad and provide noise suppression. At one point we found ourselves standing in the blast pit where flames from the Saturn 5 booster were directed during liftoff.  If you saw the movie Apollo 11, you know how intense these flames were. We were standing right there.

It was a very busy day. There were other presentations by payload specialists. Many of them started making preparations for tonight's launch over ten years ago. It takes a long time to turn a dream into a reality. 24 different satellites will be along for the ride tonight. An amazing amount of work and effort went into each of them.

We also got to see the astronaut crew quarters where every astronaut stayed prior to launch. Some people took videos of themselves walking out the famous doors where we used to see astronauts in space suits get in their Airstream van for the short ride out to the pad. We also got to meet the folks who recover the capsules after splashdown and provide emergency medical services if necessary. The complexity and number of people required to get a rocket to it's destination and back again is almost unbelievable. The space program we know today is only here because of the commitment of thousands and thousands of talented and extremely dedicated people with almost unlimited resources.  Every one of them were determined to beat the Russians to the moon. I don't think something like this could happen today.

I'll be heading out to view the launch in about an hour. We won't get back to town until well after midnight, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if the launch was a success. I don't usually stay up this late, but today I think I'll make an exception.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3468

Today was amazing. We started the day by attending a press conference that was broadcast on NASA TV. We got to ask the payload specialists questions about the satellites that will be launched tomorrow. These were the people who actually designed the satellites, so the presentation was very interesting. I got to ask one question about the Deep Space Atomic Clock myself. I'm always amazed that many of the people working on these missions seem so young. They look like they just got out of high school but they have PhD's from prestigious universities and are already doing cutting edge research. When I think what I was doing at that age, I can't help but be very impressed. I think our future is in good hands.

After the press conference, we were taken out to the famous countdown clock near the Vertical Assembly Building. I've seen this clock in many memorable news broadcasts, but I never thought I'd be standing next to it. Traditionally, this is where the press watches important launches. Nobody will be there tomorrow though. The Falcon Heavy is still considered experimental by the Air Force and they still feel this location too close in case the rocket explodes. Our group, along with other members of the press, will be viewing the launch from a location near the Banana River.

I got to spend the afternoon at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The new Atlantis exhibit is fantastic. The Space Shuttle Atlantis and a full size replica of the Hubble Space Telescope are displayed as if they were floating in space. When you see a space shuttle up close like this, it is astonishing how big it is. I had no idea. The Hubble Space Telescope is pretty huge too. It's about twice the size that I thought is was.

There is a space shuttle simulator as part of the Atlantis exhibit that lets you experience what it is like to be launched into space on one of these things. Astronauts who have ridden in the simulator say it is remarkably realistic. I'm not a big fan of roller coasters and tend to get seasick, so I was a bit wary of the ride. What the heck. I knew I might not get this chance again, so I grabbed a seat on the simulator. It was quite an experience. The whole simulator tilts vertical and you are lying on your back during the launch phase of the ride. There is lots of noise and vibration and somehow they have even managed to created the illusion of G-forces. I enjoyed myself. As I was leaving this afternoon, I even got a space shuttle astronaut named Sam Durrance to sign my launch credentials.

Today was just a prelude to the main event. The weather still looks good, so everyone seems to think that the launch will take place tomorrow as planned. During the day, we may even get to go out to the launch pad and see the rocket up close. I'm not quite sure where we'll be going tomorrow, but it will definitely be someplace I've never been before. The launch is at night, so we were warned several times to wear a hat, long pants, and apply plenty of bug spray. The mosquitoes are supposed to be horrendous. We were also told that if we were late for the credential check tomorrow morning, the bus would leave without us. I don't take chances. I was early this morning and I'm sure I'll be early tomorrow as well. I hope the launch goes smoothly. I don't have a bucket list, but this is definitely a bucket list item.

Boo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3464 - My Birthday

Another trip around the sun has been completed. Last year at this time I felt old. This year I feel like each additional year is a bonus. Janet and I are reasonably healthy. I don't have much of a bucket list or any grand plans, but there is nothing stopping me from pursuing anything that capture my fancy. I have no idea what the future holds for me, but at this age it's good to still be among the living.

Birthday's are pretty subdued when you're 71. I had my smoothie, took my morning walk and picked up a prescription at the pharmacy. It was very hot today, so one walk was plenty. Janet and I went out for a birthday dinner tonight. I love barbecue, so we tried out a new smokehouse in the neighborhood.  I had burnt ends, fried okra, and cilantro coleslaw. It was delicious.

We always have Sprinkles cupcakes on birthdays, but it was weird not having any special doggie cupcakes for the dogs. For years and years we always got doggie cupcakes for Dot and Dash. They were always more excited about our little birthday celebrations than we were. It was pretty quiet this year. Even the dog's bowls are gone; carefully stored away in my storage warehouse.

I'm still waiting to see it the static fire test of the Falcon Heavy rocket takes place tonight. This is a key step along the way to a successful launch. There were thunderstorms and lightning warnings at the space center earlier today. Hopefully things will clear up so the test can take place. I'm really glad I decided not to drive to Florida. We would have been leaving tomorrow with no idea whether the launch would actually take place. As things stand now, I don't have to make a decision about my travel plans until late Friday night. Lets hope the weather clears up.

I think it's raining everywhere. There are thunderstorms this evening at Kennedy Space Center. It's raining where my sister lives. And North Texas has severe weather warnings for the third night in a row. Thunder and lightning woke me up again last night. It was probably a good thing because while I was awake I remembered I had forgotten to take my evening meds. If you wonder what it's like to be 71, all I can say is that you'll probably become more forgetful. We got a lot of rain last night, but at least we didn't lose power again.

Hopefully, it will be quiet tonight. I'm getting behind on sleep again. There's something about severe weather that makes sleep difficult. I'm always worried about roof leaks and power outages. I'd much rather be having mildly pleasant dreams about being lost somewhere. Maybe the launch date will be finalized tomorrow. I'd like to cross this uncertainty off my perpetual worry list.

Inky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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