Got To Watch a Rocket Launch

Last evening I walked from my home to a nearby soccer field that afforded me a good view of the eastern horizon. My town doesn’t have very many street lights, and usually I curse this fact while driving at night. But the lack of street lights and a gorgeous clear night allowed me to see the LADEE rocket launch take off from the Virginia coast. It had a comet’s tail and I was able to see all of the stages as they separated. It quickly dipped below the horizon as it sped out above the Atlantic.

It was funny when two other space geeks wandered up on my position on the soccer field. One of them had the live stream going on their iPhones, but it was on a 20 second delay. I had to draw their attention to the streak of light in the sky. Shout outs to Jeff and Fernando!