tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post1401935625798622985..comments2024-03-28T08:06:43.198-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: Pretty Launch TonightSiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-48848594917111223502013-08-09T17:33:13.234-04:002013-08-09T17:33:13.234-04:00You were very lucky to catch a night launch from E...You were very lucky to catch a night launch from Epcot! Unless you planned the trip for months, night launches were always rare and then abandoned in the last few years of the program, after Columbia was destroyed by a piece of foam. Quite beautiful, though. When they light the stack it's like sunrise. <br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-86322678175140097382013-08-08T10:10:33.863-04:002013-08-08T10:10:33.863-04:00I saw a shuttle launch when I was at Epcot one nig...I saw a shuttle launch when I was at Epcot one night. Beautiful. Spent a few minutes trying to explain to some South American tourists that what they saw was NOT Disney fireworks...Rob Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03010767328260010949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-69942166935551080442013-08-08T00:05:01.848-04:002013-08-08T00:05:01.848-04:00I've seen a few night launches out of Vandenbe...I've seen a few night launches out of Vandenberg, and they're just beautiful.<br /><br />We jettison our fairing at around 3'45", at an altitude of 118km, around 70 miles.<br /><br />We have exactly ONE good film of the fairing coming off and fluttering away. Usually it's cloudy or hazy to the point where our big cameras can't see much detail at that altitude.<br /><br />I forget which mission it was (and I was on it!), but I remember the Photo-Optics guys were really jazzed about it.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.com