Day 3698

I knew it was going to be a good day when I looked out my hotel window and saw blue sky. Things started looking even better a few hours later when I was issued my first press pass. The little orange badge might not have been a big deal for some of the other reporters, but it represented kind of a milestone for me. I can drive my own car through the security check points now and didn't need to take the bus. I could get closer to the rocket than I ever dreamed possible. Best of all, I got to learn from some of the best.

Did I mention that I managed to get on the press bus to the Solar Orbiter rollout this morning? The rollout is exactly what it sounds like. The rocket slowly rolls on special tracks from the tall building when it was protected during assembly to the launch pad several hundred yards away.

The rollout is always a good sign because it means that the launch team is very confident that the launch will actually take place. The actual launch is tomorrow around 11 PM, but we are getting very close. It was great riding on the press bus and hanging out with the other photographers; I got lots of tips on how to take good rocket pictures. I was glad I decided not to leave a remote camera near the launch site after I heard what might happen. It is apparently very easy to have your camera destroyed. Your tripod can be knocked over by hight winds. An unexpected rainstorm can ruin your camera unless it is in a waterproof housing. The worst danger is that highly corrosive exhaust fumes from the solid rocket boosters could completely destroy your lens and camera. Most of the photographers I met today had lost at least one camera. Everyone reminded me to never leave my best camera at the remote site. "Take an old one," they told me.

After the rollout was finished I decided to go see the Saturn Experience. I've already seen one Saturn 5 when I was at Johnson Space Center in Houston, but why not see another. There are three of these rockets left. One is in Houston, one is here at the Space Center, and the third is in Huntsville, Alabama. These rockets were already manufactured and ready to go when the Apollo Program was cancelled. They were supposed to go to the moon too, but unfortunately never made it due to budget cuts.

One of the high points of today's visit was talking with a retired engineer named Lee Solid who worked on the Apollo Program. He was a docent at the Saturn Experience. This guy was responsible for the Rocketdyne F-1 engines that powered the Saturn 5 first stage. Wernher von Braun was his boss. "Werner liked the engine guys," Lee told me. I asked him if he ever got to see an Apollo launch in person. He laughed. "I was sitting in the control room for every single one of them," he said. Then he pulled an old Apollo 11 Security badge out of his wallet and showed it to me. "I found this in my attic a few years ago," he said. "I'm glad I didn't throw it away." Lee told me that he always liked to leave a thumbprint on the nozzle bell of each F-1 engine that left the factory. Years later he and some other old timers were invited to a special 50th Anniversary celebration where they got to witness the first Falcon Heavy launch. He was able to see Elon Musk's car being loaded into the nose of the rocket and asked if he might be able to leave a thumbprint on this car as well. "Sure, go for it," the Space X folks told him. I don't know why, but I loved this story.

The launch is tomorrow. The weather still looks good. Everyone seems optimistic. Early tomorrow I get to go out to the pad again for another photo opportunity. I'm hoping to see a German scientist I met today. He designed one of the main science instruments on the Solar Orbiter. The guy was really interesting and said he was invited to the pad tomorrow as well. I had lots of question about what his spectrograph did. He seemed puzzled that an ad guy like myself even knew what a spectrograph was. Truthfully, I'm a little puzzled myself.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1365

I was busy from dawn till dusk, but now that the day is over, I'm having trouble remembering what I actually did. The entire day was a succession of necessary, but not very memorable tasks. I got my September invoices out today. I retrieved a large banner from the storage warehouse in preparation for upcoming Dalmatian Rescue events. I picked up some clothes from the dry cleaner. I did some research on the best way to install Wordpress on a Macintosh. There was more, of course, but these were the memorable things.

I definitely didn't rush out to place an order for a new iPhone though. I was totally underwhelmed by today's product introductions. I think I can live without a button that identifies me by my fingerprint. The irritating thing about all new Apple phones is that they always change just enough to force you to buy a new case. I like the case I have now. Even though the new iPhone 5S is the same size and shape as the current model, there's that pesky round biometric fingerprint button. It's pretty clear that current waterproof cases, like the one I have, won't work with that thing.

My vet wants to keep Dash on phenobarbital for the time being. I was a little disappointed to hear this, but the logic makes sense. She said the best reason to keep Dash on phenobarbital was that it works. Alternate medications might work too, but you wouldn't know until you tried them and that would involve a long, drawn-out process of gradually reducing the phenobarbital dosage while introducing the new medication. The vet acknowledged that there was a potential danger of liver damage using phenobarbital for extended periods of time and recommended frequent blood tests to monitor liver enzyme levels. This made sense too, since I do exactly the same thing myself.

A new cutting board I ordered from England came in the mail today. This one looks exactly like the one I would have made myself if I had the time, tools, and patience to do it myself. The new cutting board is well made, has a built-in colander, can go in the dishwasher, and fits perfectly in its allotted space. It still has to pass one final test though. We have to see if Janet likes it. Sometimes she likes things I buy for the kitchen and sometimes she doesn't. Whatever happens, it's a safe bet that the nice slab of Mahogany I bought a few weeks ago will probably wind up in the storage warehouse.

I'm going to begin attending those Wednesday morning business networking breakfasts I've been invited to, starting tomorrow. We'll see which is going to be more difficult: going to the gym three times a week, or getting up early every Wednesday.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day