And that’s how my sudden and superb journey out to Cape Canaveral started. As a result of flying expertise being a bit disjointed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I hopped in my Tesla in Dallas, typed within the handle of the marina in Cape Canaveral, and hit the street. “Andy, that sounds loopy”, and sure, you’re proper. However after my NASA Social expertise in March I’ve change into a little bit of an area nerd, and I figured the one factor higher than watching a rocket launch was watching not simply one other rocket launch, however watching SpaceX launch NASA astronauts into area from US soil for the primary time for the reason that shuttle mission led to 2011.
I hit the street, a grocery bag stuffed with wholesome snacks so I wouldn’t blow my food plan whereas on the street. As I handed from Texas into Louisiana and evening fell, the autopilot performance on my Tesla Mannequin 3 made the trip an absolute pleasure (it drove for me 98% of the time, and no I didn’t sleep whereas it was driving).
Our plan
The plan was easy: get on a ship and get as shut as we might to the launch web site to take some nice footage. We wouldn’t be as shut as final time, since we have been on the precise press advanced, however we nonetheless thought it will be value it. Granted, we nonetheless wouldn’t be shut, most certainly 8-9 miles away, but it surely was a very good plan and I figured if nothing else it will be a very good time seeing pals I met again in March.
Oh…the climate
Right here was the factor: the climate forecast appeared dreadful for launch. The official Air Power forecast for launch gave solely a 50% probability of a inexperienced gentle for launch. As I handed from Louisiana into Mississippi, I hit the primary of many rainstorms that I handed by means of on my technique to Florida. They appeared like slim bands, but it surely was nonetheless regarding, as a result of clearly you don’t need to drive out to Florida to observe a rocket not take off.
The Hope for Launch
I optimistically foraged my means forward into Florida, sleeping whereas the Tesla charged. I lastly arrived on the Jetty Park Marina simply earlier than 11am on launch day. I met my buddies, we hopped on a ship, and tried to go over to the launch pad to get some footage of the rocket earlier than the Exclusion Zone within the water across the launch pad went into impact. We have been met by the US Coast Guard, who instructed us to show round as a result of we wouldn’t make it to the pad and again earlier than the zone kicked in. In order that was a bummer, however then we went to lunch on the marina and I had some nice fish for lunch.
The climate I had handed by means of did in reality make it to the cape and we sat by means of band after band of rain. The forecast was nonetheless wanting adequate to make an try at launch, nonetheless, so we bought again into the boat and made our means by means of the locks and over to Banana Creek, listening to the SpaceX broadcast by way of the boat’s Bluetooth audio system.
Max and I bought our cameras prepared and liked the composition we had, with the NASA VAB within the foreground subsequent to the launchpad the SpaceX Falcon 9 would depart from (click on right here to see my footage from contained in the NASA VAB).
They started fueling the rocket at about T-45 minutes, which made us actually optimistic, since they wouldn’t gas the rocket except they thought there was a good probability for launch. However then, with solely 17 minutes earlier than launch, the decision got here to wash the launch. If they’d been in a position to delay the launch by 10 minutes or so the climate would’ve most likely been okay, however sadly they simply weren’t in a position to delay the launch, as a result of instantaneous launch window required to satisfy up with the Worldwide House Station.
What’s an instantaneous launch window?
The Worldwide House Station is orbiting the Earth at about 17500mph. A rocket launching to satisfy up with the ISS must not solely have sufficient energy to flee the planet’s gravitational pull, it should even have sufficient energy to speed up the docking automobile to the identical pace, which takes fairly a little bit of gas. Due to this, rockets should launch at a exact time as a way to steadiness the quantity of gas essential to get the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the suitable pace whereas ensuring they don’t miss the ISS totally. That’s why they needed to depart at a exact time, there merely wasn’t any room for going early or late to accommodate the climate.
So the launch was scrubbed, which left me with blended feelings. This was Wednesday, and the subsequent launch wasn’t till Saturday. A part of me hoped it will’ve launched that day so I might flip round and begin heading again to Dallas with some stops to see family and friends alongside the best way. The opposite half wished to go to the launch pad for some cool footage, so the scrub wasn’t actually that huge of a deal. I made a decision to make it a vacation in Cape Canaveral and booked three nights at a Hyatt Place close to Melbourne, Florida.
Helicopter Tour over Kennedy House Middle and the SPACE SHUTTLE RUNWAY
The day earlier than the subsequent launch try, some pals and I chartered a helicopter from Cocoa Seaside Helicopters (extremely really helpful, by the best way, Hudson was a completely improbable pilot!) to fly us as shut as we might get to Kennedy House Middle. I had spoken with the proprietor of the helicopter firm and he stated the tower over at NASA was normally fairly good about letting them fly near the restricted airspace over KSC itself, so we figured it will be value a shot.
These of you who comply with me on Instagram most likely bear in mind seeing this story.
We hopped within the heli and made our means up over Cape Canaveral, first wanting over the port space, the place we noticed United Launch Alliance’s Rocketship, a cargo vessel which delivers giant rocket boosters from Alabama to launch locations in Florida and California!
We have been enthusiastic about seeing the Rocketship (it’s 312 ft lengthy and suits rocket boosters in its hull) after which we noticed one thing even cooler: considered one of SpaceX’s autonomous drone ships, named Simply Learn The Directions. That is considered one of two autonomous drone ships used as touchdown pads within the ocean for the rocket boosters to land upon.
(The white bit you see on the deck of the ship is the Octagrabber, which is saved in a storage aboard the ship till shortly after the booster lands, at which level it scurries out onto the deck of the barge to safe the booster for its journey again to the cape)
We then caught a fleeting look south of Florida’s pristine seashores as we turned north in direction of Kennedy House Middle.
Kennedy House Middle sits in the midst of a large nature reserve, so we have been primarily flying over bushes and never a lot else, however the balmy climate and the doorways being off of the helicopter made for an exquisite 15 minute journey over to KSC.
We first approached the Kennedy House Middle Guests Advanced, which I toured (and noticed the superb House Shuttle Atlantis exhibit) in March. I figured there can be some cool compositions to discover from the air and turned out to be precisely proper!
I assumed the KSC Guests Advanced with the NASA VAB within the background made for a very cool composition (inform me should you agree or not within the feedback beneath!), for the reason that VAB is the place the shuttle was assembled.
Simply subsequent to the KSC Guests Advanced is the sprawling advanced of a giant SpaceX competitor named Blue Origins. The brainchild of Jeff Bezos, Blue Origins is a rocket and lander designed with the intent to contribute to the nascent human return to the moon. They’re actually not as seen or outstanding as SpaceX (the brainchild of Bezos-rival Elon Musk) however they’re working simply as onerous to get again to the moon as each SpaceX and NASA. We did an orbit over their Florida HQ for a number of footage.
We then began making our means over to an unlimited runway. The. runway. the place. the. area. shuttle. landed.
However on our means we caught our first glimpse of the launchpad with the Falcon 9 rocket standing prepared. I had my Sony a7rIV and the spectacular 200-600mm tremendous telephoto lens so I knew I might get a very good image though we have been miles away from the launchpad.
I liked the shot. However liked what we have been about to see much more. I heard the pilot request a flyover of the area shuttle runway and we have been accepted!
It was completely superb from this vantage level however then the pilot descended and bought us tremendous shut over the runway!
It was so superb being that near one thing which the shuttle had touched many instances. The runway continues to be in use right now, and is what President Trump landed on in Air Power One to observe the launch just some days earlier than (and would once more the subsequent day). It’s 15000-feet lengthy, so it could possibly just about land any jet on the earth. (Random facet word: I’ve additionally landed on the sister runway to this one, on none apart from Easter Island in Chile, whose runway was prolonged and renovated by the US authorities within the late Sixties for use as an alternate touchdown web site for the shuttle).
Alongside the runway have been the anticipated management tower (which I bought a terrific image of in entrance of the NASA VAB) and a little bit of a curiousity.
I had by no means heard of a House Shuttle named Inspiration earlier than and requested the blokes within the helicopter with me about it. Seems it’s a full-scale picket duplicate constructed for demonstration functions by Rockwell in 1972. It made its means across the nation earlier than discovering this everlasting show publish at Kennedy House Middle.
We flew previous a small hangar with a really good Gulfstream G5 subsequent to it. This was the NASA Gulfstream G5 on which the astronauts traveled to Cape Canaveral solely days earlier than. The hangar contained NASA’s Huey helicopter fleet, I used to be instructed.
As we looped round for yet another overflight of the area shuttle runway I set my sights on a composition I had noticed earlier because the morning gentle began casting a golden hue over the panorama.
I liked so many issues about this image. The VAB itself wants no introduction, however the reflection within the lake on the backside of the image was a nice shock. From the VAB you possibly can see the Cellular Crawlerway, which is the monitor the Cellular Crawler would take to ship Saturn V rockets and House Shuttles to the launch pad. Again within the distance, simply previous the SpaceX VAB, was the star of the present, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a Crew Dragon capsule on the very high. I simply liked the symbolism of the scene.
On our means again to the helipad, we flew previous an space I had toured in March: the ISS Processing Facility, the place every little thing going to the ISS should cross. That is the place the well-known doorway from which the astronauts exit quarantine on their technique to area sits (in addition to the Astronaut Parking Solely spots), and I simply needed to get an image of it from the air.
We landed again on the helipad in Port Canaveral a couple of minutes later after a completely unimaginable flight!
Launch Day
We have been watching the climate forecast all week. Issues didn’t look too good for the launch on Saturday however we went forward and bought a ship anyway. Our aim was to start out early and head over to the launchpad within the morning, seize some lunch again on the marina, after which head to the identical spot as earlier than for the launch try.
Launchpad Go to
We began over in direction of the launchpad, hugging the coast of Merritt Island and seeing numerous different launch pads, together with the ULA’s VAB, within which a rocket was being assembled!
We additionally noticed, of all issues, a blue seashore home. It seems this home can be utilized by astronauts whereas in quarantine in the event that they fancy a swim or some recent air throughout the dregs of pre-launch quarantine.
We lastly made it to the launch pad. We couldn’t go onto the seashore however we bought as shut as we might! The climate relented and the gorgeous morning gentle lit up the rocket!
We stored taking footage and instantly we heard the acquainted whump-whump-whump of a Huey helicopter. Shortly thereafter a NASA Huey helicopter got here into view, full with door gunner, simply to see what we have been as much as I’m positive.
The Huey then unintentionally posed for some superior footage with the VAB within the background.
It turned again in direction of Kennedy House Middle, content material that we have been simply nerds taking footage. We went additional alongside the coast so I might get a very good image of the crew arm linked to the rocket.
We scurried again to the port (assembly up with the Coast Guard once more, simply in order that they have been sure we have been on our means again in earlier than the Exclusion Zone turned lively) and had a terrific lunch at an area BBQ spot.
The Rocket Launch
Rested, sunscreened, and prepared, we hopped again onto the boat for what we hoped was the final time and made our means over to Banana Creek for the launch. The strangest factor occurred: the climate began shifting north, away from the launchpad! All the pieces was wanting good to go! We bought our cameras prepared and waited for the ultimate inexperienced gentle for launch. Whereas we have been ready, we heard the scream of fighter jets overhead, doing safety patrols.
(I’m unsure, please inform me within the feedback, however these jets are armed with missiles aren’t they?)
The one factor cooler than preparing for a rocket launch is having the soundtrack of fighter jets overhead!
The countdown started, I stated a final minute prayer for security for the 2 courageous astronauts sitting on the high of that rocket, and bought my digital camera prepared. What began as a shiny gentle on the backside shortly turned the flames of 9 Merlin engines from the Falcon 9 rocket because it slowly cleared the tower and picked up pace on its technique to area!
Whooping and hollering, I stored on taking pictures.
Earlier than I knew it, the rocket was making its means into the clouds and out of view.
Success! American astronauts launched efficiently into area (and at the moment are fortunately working aboard the Worldwide House Station) for the primary time for the reason that House Shuttle program led to 2011. My pals and I jubilantly cheered because the boat captain ran us full throttle again to the port (the place he was late for his spouse’s birthday dinner, eek).
Wrapping all of it up
What a enjoyable weekend. It was nice seeing pals from NASA Social again in March and assembly new ones. As a lot as I liked seeing the rocket launch, truthfully being out on a ship with pals previous and new was the perfect half, I simply had a blast!
There’s one other important rocket launch (of the Mars 2020 Rover) arising subsequent month and I’ve my fingers crossed for a media credential for it, however within the meantime I hope you loved these footage from an unimaginable weekend!
Which image was your favourite? Inform me within the feedback beneath!
