Jack suggested that we might want to go to Florida to see a Space Shuttle launch. Supposedly the last ones are going up this year. So I did a little checking. There are almost as many launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and it's a lot closer. Shoot, we could drive there. They don't launch shuttles, but they do launch some big rockets. I found three sites that listed upcoming launches, and they couldn't agree on much, but they did agree on two things:
- Missions to the International Space Station
- U.S. Spy satellite launches
Looking at
Boeing's Delta page, I thought this line was illuminating:
This process reduces on-pad time to less than 10 days and the amount of time a vehicle is at the launch site to less than 30 days upon arrival from the factory.
Launching a rocket into orbit is a big deal.
I combined the schedule information I found into a spreadsheet, for your amusement.
Additional notes such as acronyms and locations can be found here.
1 comment:
Spent a summer (1982?) working summer-stock theater in Santa Maria building and painting scenery at the College there. With all the saws running and grinders grinding and welders welding the shop-yard was hella loud and in order to hear the radio (very necessary, Oingo-Boingo, The Cars, etc.) it was turned up to total max volume - the whole place was noisy - but then you'd hear this rumbling getting closer and louder and closer and louder and suddenly see in the sky the smoke column and this thing going up and away...
It was pretty cool.
(surfed in off a comment at Tam's)
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