How To View the Antares Launch 36
An anonymous reader points out NASA's info page on the Anatares rocket launch happening later today. NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport are set to support the launch of Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket at 6:45 p.m. EDT, October 27. The Antares rocket will carry Orbital's Cygnus cargo spacecraft, loaded with some 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments, to the International Space Station. The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States. Here's a visibility map of launch. Public viewing of the launch will be available at the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops and at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge/Assateague Island National Seashore. Here's more information about the Visitors Center, including directions, and information on viewing sites recommended by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission. Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at noon on the Wallops Ustream site."
Definitely worth a look. (Score:5, Informative)
These launches aren't that uncommon, but they're visible from a lot of highly-populated areas, and they're bright enough to see even if you've got a lot of light pollution. If you have a good view of the horizon in the proper direction, check it out.
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Definitely worth a look (Score:3)
If you are ever out in Maryland, these launches are worth visiting. Here is a hint: Do not go to Chincoteague Island. It is crowded and it is not all that close. You can get twice as close and less crowded by driving around on some back country roads. Google maps/earth is your friend. From our vantage point we could see the rocket before launch. At launch it was blinding. It lit up the entire landscape and we could feel the thunder thumping our chests. 100% worth it.
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In metric? (Score:4, Insightful)
"...loaded with some 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments..."
It feels like an organisation such as NASA, which is hopefully respected for its scientific contributions across the world, could set an example by moving towards the metric system in its press releases. This would emphasise the importance the metric system (and the complete intolerance of imperial measurements) in science and allow the move to the metric system to be driven by the scientists (i.e. those in society that lay people respect as being intelligent).
If the battle between metric vs imperial is just fought over what people prefer in the present, then nothing will change and a backward and overly complixated system for measuring everything will remain.
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Why is it the smartest people piss and moan the most about the modern need to understand two systems of measurement? These people may know several computer languages, several spoken languages, but zOMG!!!! two systems of measurement = crybaby time.
"Oh, imperial measurements are SOOO HARD!!!! We should only use one! It is too difficult! We should force everyone to use just one!"
When one is stupid and frankly irrelevant, it deserves to be made obsolete.
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5000 US Pounds = 357 UK Stones. That should clear things up.
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Or two and a half tons. Or a Tesla Model S.
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If NASA is struggling with the Metric system then there is something very very wrong going on here.
It should be pretty much a given that rocket science is hard. Metric is not hard. An Engineer should be pretty damn proficient with SI units. So why does an organization like NASA struggle with something so fundamental to Science and Engineering as the Metric and SI system of units?
Is it because America?
Is it because laziness?
Anybody have any answers?
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It feels like an organisation such as NASA, which is hopefully respected for its scientific contributions across the world, could set an example by moving towards the metric system in its press releases.
If it will make your life easier, I can tell you that NASA is launching 2267.96185 kilograms worth of supplies and experiments to the ISS this evening.
Cheers, mate!
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My rocket gets 40 rods to the hogshead, and that's the way I like it!
Will be watching from Connecticut (Score:2)
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If you're looking south/southwest, it should be no problem. I'll be at Eagle Rock Reservation in NJ, which faces New York City, but I can face south enough to catch a bit of it. The problem is I get out of work at 6:15pm, and can't get to any good vantage spots other than Eagle Rock by 6:45. Hoping for the best....
Re:Will be watching from Connecticut (Score:4, Informative)
Wallops: Second favorite NASA site name... (Score:2)
... after "Jackass Flats".
I'm bummed that I live too far West to be able to see the launch.
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For those who want to learn about the rocket... (Score:2)
... it spelled "Antares" [wikipedia.org], as in the title, not "Anatares", as in the summary.
Launched due to a boat (Score:2)
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Launch scrubbed (Score:2)
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The Coast Guard does patrol. On the other hand, how many boats do you think they have? The safety area is huge compared to a size of a boat.
meh. (Score:2)
6 seconds into launch, boom. (Score:2)
However, I have a pretty clear line of site to Wallops from my house, 75 miles as the crow flies). At the right moment, I recorded what looked to me just like a rocket ascending. 3 or 4 minutes of it.
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Return your seat to the upright position.