CRS-16 We saw them light the candle!!

Wednesday, November 5
Launch day! I checked the website early and yes, the rocket will launch at 1:16 PM today. Apparently the mice food issue has been resolved (see last post).

Space X is a contractor to NASA that provides spacecraft and rockets for re-supply of the International Space Station (ISS) for now but also hope to provide manned spaceflight in the future. They lease launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center. They use the launch pads 39A and B. Today's flight was Cargo Re-Supply (CRS) - 16. The 16th flight to the ISS that Space X has operated.

The Space X Falcon 9 rocket is attached to the Dragon spacecraft and it is loaded with several tons of supplies for today's flight to the ISS. The Falcon 9 has nine engines in the first stage with power equal five 747's at full thrust. In fact they could lose three of those engines and still have a successful launch.
For more information on Space X Falcon 9 see here.

We chose to see the launch from Port Canaveral. They have viewing stands and restroom facilities and a big parking lot. You get a clear view to the launch pad that is roughly eight miles away. A good telephoto lens is a must.

Across the bay you can see the assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center. About eight miles away.

Photographers using some huge telephoto lenses.

Viewing stands and lots of parking.

Alligator warnings along the shore.

Two barely visible white towers on the horizon is the launch pad. The rocket is between them ready to launch.

Launch!

That's a hot burning candle! After liftoff the wind blew toward us and you could feel the heat from the rocket. And of course the noise!

First stage burn is complete and in no time the rocket was out of sight.

Space X has a booster recovery system. The first stage can land under it's own power on land or on a ship. After a few failures they have been pretty successful in landing these rockets. Today....not a good day. The rocket came down but was unstable. It landed a couple of miles offshore and fell over. It floated though and they were able to recover the rocket a few days later. (December 7)

Next thing we see is the first stage rocket coming back down toward us.

The rocket fires and slows it's decent. Unfortunately it was not stable as you can see here the rocket is not coming down straight. (The black spot to the right of the rocket is a turkey vulture!)

 

The rocket near touch down, but unfortunately it landed in the ocean!

Well, that was exciting! Now what do we do? Well, something just about as exciting......go shopping to the largest surf shop in the world, the Ron Jon Surf Shop....all 2 1/2 acres of it. The store is located near the beach in Cocoa Beach. Loaded with goodies that will separate you from your money.

Custom balsa surf boards costing up to $6000 each. Beautiful, but best left on display.

Model plane with Ron Jon decals.

Everything beach related.

Open 24 hours. You never know when you might need some surf board wax at 4 AM!

Awesome figures.

An awesome day in central Florida. Next up is a visit to the Kennedy Space Center. I hear they may have a few interesting things to see there!

....and that was Our View From Here!