SpaceX completed a doubleheader today; not that many people close to the launch site saw it.
At 6:13 PM, Falcon 9 lifted off out of a gloopy fog at Launch Complex 39A and lofted the Maxar 4 / WorldView 5 and WorldView 6 satellites into orbit on the second successful mission of the day for the company. The rising rocket was seen up the east coast as far as New York City, but here locally, fleeting glimpses was the order of the day.
I love photographing rockets, as you can see by perusing this website. But…I also photograph other things from time to time. Here’s some of those photos:
“Above the Fire” — an overnight star streak stack from a camping trip.
From the outset of space flight, engineers dreamed of reusing rocket boosters. This 1964 study, written by W. E. Ruhland and R. H. Lipp of the Chrysler Corporation’s Space Division, lists some possible methods to make that happen. Chrysler was the prime contractor for the S-IB first stage.
As a reminder, the S-IB first stage was for the smaller Saturn variant, and was the rocket that launched Apollo 7, Apollo Soyuz Test Project and as crew transportation during the Skylab program. Its booster had eight engines powered by RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen. It used the Saturn S-IV as its second stage, and an Apollo CSM if it were being used on a crewed mission.
The entire study is below.
Note: this is a writing sample of my original text, first published on Florida Media Now on January 24, 2025.
In the world of aerospace engineering, even the smallest miscalculation can lead to catastrophic failure. And in the past few years, a phrase has emerged as a humorous way to describe those unfortunate events: “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” often shortened to RUD. This technical-sounding euphemism, often deployed in the aftermath of rocket explosions, has become a staple in modern spaceflight jargon, and is widely used when a rocket fails. But where did the phrase come from?
In a milestone for space exploration and commercial spaceflight, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday.
At 2:03 a.m. EST, the 320-foot-tall New Glenn finally roared to life after two holds and was propelled by seven Blue Origin BE-4 engines fueled by liquid oxygen and methane.
Spectators crowded the beaches and riverfront to witness the spectacle, as the rocket ascended gracefully into a cloudy sky obscuring a nearly full moon.
After two previous delays, including an abort-at-ignition and a booster swap, SpaceX launched the ‘From One To Many’ payload for Astranis tonight from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral aboard Falcon 9. Liftoff was at 12:00 AM EST (05:00 UTC) under broken skies on the Space Coast.
On Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Blue Origin continued testing New Glenn as it prepares for the first launch of the company’s first orbital rocket. The company fueled the rocket and conducted simulated countdowns.
Views from the launch pad of Falcon 9 at Space Launch Complex 40. Later that night, when the engines that power the first stage were ignited, a problem was detected by the rocket’s computers and an instant shutdown and launch aboard were automatically triggered. Both rocket and payload are safe.
The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship still in service. Built in 1797, the heavy frigate was so well built that in battle, cannonballs bounced off her hull. That earned her the nickname “Old Ironsides.” Walking aboard the vessel was walking in history and an honor to do so.
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