March 2023

Startup Relativity Space conducted their first launch as a company from LC-16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 23, 2023.

The boost phase was successful, they had successful staging, but problems with the second stage prevented the company from achieving orbit on its first try. No matter, they successfully launched, proved that additive manufacturing (3-D printing) can withstand the dynamics and pressures of flight and also proved that their new methane-fueled engines for the first stage of their rocket performed to spec.

Here is a long exposure of the rocket’s flight, as seen from the Launch Viewing area at Sands Space History Museum in Cape Canaveral.

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One of the things that many people do not realize about Kennedy Space Center is that it is divided into three major sections: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Relativity and eventually Blue Origin conduct most of their launches (SpaceX occasionally lands returning booster there too), which is adjoined by Kennedy Space Center, where the VAB, pads LC-39A (SpaceX) and LC-39B (Artemis) are located, and finally, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to the north of KSC. The latter is where Playalinda Beach is….along with hundreds of acres of completely undeveloped coastal marshlands are located. It is actually a part of KSC, something made clear at each entrance.

Wildlife is everywhere in MINWR — birds, alligators, snakes, armadillo, bobcats, perhaps even a Florida panther are out there.

Here are some birds I’ve photographed recently in MINWR and KSC.

A Roseate spoonbill foraging in Kennedy Space Center.
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SpaceX launched a Cargo Dragon spacecraft packed with nearly 6,300 pounds of supplies and experiments for the International Space Station on March 14, 2023 at 8:30PM. The launch was from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Temperatures were cool with a brisk breeze on the Space Coast at liftoff. This often causes distortion in photographs where the subject is at a distance — for example, one of a rocket that is six miles away from the camera. The effect is called “heat shimmer” and occurs because at that distance the differences in the overall density of the air, which in turn affects the indices of refraction for light passing through it.

No matter, it was a flawless launch and one that was really fun to watch.

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