Has anyone watched a rocket launch? (NASA, SpaceX)

wazzuFreddo

wazzuFreddo

WuTang is 4 the children
A friend of mine lives in Orlando and has been to several on the Florida coast. He recommends it
 
Kestrel

Kestrel

Well-known member
Yes - Florida space coast. I wanted to view the final shuttle launch, but couldn't make it, and settled for a spy satellite launch.

It's a cool thing to watch, but especially so if you have a good appreciation for what mankind can accomplish when we put our minds to it. From an audio visual perspective, some people might not be impressed... but I'm wrapping up a STEM PhD, and this is the the kind of thing that motivates me. Watching stuff head up into orbit is inspirational.
 
M

mlm

Contrarian
Not sure how close the general public can get to the Vandenberg it launches. I was working down in Santa Maria for a bit and caught a GPS launch, but only the rocket in flight and not leaving the pad. It was underwhelming

edit: Just looked on a map and where I saw the launch was about 15-20 miles from the pad (in Santa Maria near the airport). Looks like you can get closer, but still you'll be several miles away and won't be able to see the pad itself like you can in FL
 
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dravnx

dravnx

Well-known member
Saw a Skylab II launch from the VIP viewing area when I was a kid. The company my Dad worked for supplied electronic gear to Nasa.
I was at Kennedy in November hoping to see a Space X launch but it got scrubbed.
You can Google around and find lots of info about watching launches out of Vandenburg.
I would consider going if the timing was right. I would want to make it an overnighter though.
 
sf250gto

sf250gto

Zen
I have gone to see several, but then I live less than an hour away. I can watch them from my house. They are awesome to see. The Atlas V is the largest rocket launched from Vandenberg. Night launches are generally more spectacular, but for daytime launches the base often opens Hawks Nest, a good viewing location, depending on launchpad. Here's a link to some viewing locations:
https://wiki.dandascalescu.com/blog/where_to_watch_vandenberg_afb_rocket_launches

Launches do get postponed often. Usually for a day, but the last launch took four days.
 
littlebeast

littlebeast

get it while it's easy
yes. my prior career was in missile defense. have seen many many launches, including intercept launches. most were from vandenburg and white sands missile range. and mostly ICBM’s. from a viewers perspective, they are nothing like watching a space launch. there’s almost no time between ignition and gone. they go off like a bottle rocket. very little to see. if you blink you will miss it.
 
R

r77toy

Well-known member
oobus

oobus

Dirt Monger
Been to a couple at Vandenberg, last one was a Delta. Ran around the Shuttle pad that was never used and went to the Titan pad that was damaged when things went wrong.

Awesome sight to see.

Missed out on going to see one of my systems go up in a Titan IV in Florida (same payload capacity as the shuttle). Nothing more bad ass (other than blowing something up from space).
 
T

TylerW

Agitator
littlebeast said:
yes. my prior career was in missile defense. have seen many many launches, including intercept launches. most were from vandenburg and white sands missile range. and mostly ICBM’s. from a viewers perspective, they are nothing like watching a space launch. there’s almost no time between ignition and gone. they go off like a bottle rocket. very little to see. if you blink you will miss it.
Click to expand...

I've never seen a defense missile launch, but I got to spend a weekend at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry site out in the mojave for a big student launch weekend. I had to slow most of my footage down by half just so you can follow the action.
 
CDONA

CDONA

Home of Vortex tuning
I went to school in Vandenberg Village back during the Cuban missile thing.
Big loud balls of fire burning towards the heavens, all you had to do was to walk outside to see.
One house we lived in we could see the Navy launch pad, with the gasses steaming off awaiting the launch. My dad would set up his rifle across the kitchen table so we could see thru the scope.
As to the last December SX launch from Vandenberg, it was huge out here in the desert, that expanding luminous condom heading for Yuma.
 
Killroy1999

Killroy1999

Well-known member
Anyone that is close to Cape Canaveral, should go to the SpaceX Falcon heavy launch next week. That rocket is one of the most powerful rockets flying today. There will also be a simultaneous landing of 2 of the boosters at the Cape.

Tweet by Elon Musk:
Falcon Heavy to launch next month from Apollo 11 pad at the Cape. Will have double thrust of next largest rocket. Guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another.
Click to expand...
Just in case you don't get it, he is insinuating that the launch could be a spectacular fire ball.
 
R

r77toy

Well-known member
Florida officials are expecting 100's of thousands of launch watchers.
Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket since the Apollo program.
And all 3 1st stage boosters should be landed and reused.
This flight will be using 2 used boosters.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy will be approx $4,000 per Kilo to orbit vs ULA Delta IV Heavy $50,000 per Kilo to orbit
 
R

Ridley

Well-known member
I got to see a crap ton of rocket sled launches when I worked at Sandia National Labs. My specific lab was across the street from one of the tracks. It was cool as hell, I couldn’t imagine how bitchen a space going launch would be. You should go.
 
CDONA

CDONA

Home of Vortex tuning
Thanks for that vid. I did want some closure on how the this launch was so different.
The size of it did give me the "Is this gonna blow up the earth?"
Way bigger in the desert than the LA view, as we swapped stories around the campfire.

Is the sky falling?
 
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