We successfully touched down in Jefferson late yesterday!

While this posting is a little dated, Meriam and I thought we might share a few additional photographs with you as well as some thoughts and observations during the launch. We also provide a few NASA photographs from the successful landing of Starliner yesterday.

As you might recall, this was an unmanned launch and the first launch of the ULA (United Launch Alliance) rocket which will ultimately carry astronauts to the ISS (International Space Station), the moon, Mars and asteroids.) A Boeing built Starliner capsule sat on top of an Atlas V rocket.

As we mentioned in our previous email, this was an outstanding experience for us. To be so close to a launch is very exciting. For about an hour prior to launch, NASA had a shuttle astronaut and the previous mission control officer talk about what we were going to see, as well as interesting points about prior launches.

Here are some key points:

• We were located 5.4 miles from the actual launch site, the closest humans were allowed
• At ignition, it took 27 seconds for the sound to reach us. Needless to say, it was LOUD
• To give an idea of the complexity of a launch there were over 22,000 checkpoints (for a shuttle launch) which had to be correct at the time of launch or it would be scrubbed
• Over 40% of all NASA launches have been scrubbed, necessitating a reschedule. Our launch was rescheduled twice. Fortunately we were able to rearrange our travel to accommodate the reschedules
• Of the above-scrubbed launches, 45% were scrubbed in the last 6 seconds! Needless to say, we were “biting our nails” that our launch would not be scrubbed in the last few seconds.
• The launch had to occur at the precise time of 6:36.47am in order to successfully rendezvous with the ISS (although we now know it did not because of a software error).

While the Starliner did not rendezvous with the ISS, according to NASA, many of the launch objectives were completed successfully, including:

• Successful launch of the first human-rated United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket
• Checked out the Starliner propulsion systems
• Tested space-to-space communications
• Confirmed Starliner tracker alignments using its navigation system
• Tested Starliner’s NASA Docking System
• Validated all environment control and life support systems
• Completed a positive command uplink between the International Space Station and Starliner

Sometime in the first part of the New Year, NASA will launch a manned rocket. This will be the return of manned space flight for America, from American soil, in 40 years!. In our opinion, it is about TIME!

Here is a graphic of the Kennedy Space Center. Our launch occurred from SLC-41 Atlas V launch pad located about midway on the right. We were observing the launch just south of the Apollo/Saturn V Center in the upper center.

90 seconds to go!

Lift-off

Meriam took this photograph with her iPhone at the same time as I took the above photograph.

Milliseconds after the previous photograph

Meriam took this really great photograph with her iPhone

Several seconds later

Miles down range

Here we see the first stage separation. The white dot in the center is the next stage ignition.

Space Launch – NASA photograph – Prior to launch

Space Launch – NASA Photograph –  Starliner as it sits on its airbags after a successful landing

NASA photograph of the Starliner as its three parachutes are deployed. The white dot below the module is its heat shield moments after being jettisoned.