NASA nostalgia / Pluto launch

[Rocky Raab]

I'm watching the launch of the probe to Pluto on live NASA TV, and it sure brings back memories.

From 1976 until 1985, I was a launch commentator at the Cape. That's the guy you hear describing the mission, the vehicle and what's happening. On netwrok TV, all you'll hear is the netwrok's own moronic reporters spouting drivel and errors, then they finally cut to the NASA commentator at about T minus ten seconds. All you hear of the real expert is "10...9...8..."

But the whole commentary is a script that runs up to eight hours. Not constant talking, but there'll be some kind of commentator briefing every few minutes, and almost constant for the final half hour or so.

I was (and still am) proud to have done that. Just another fun corner of a lifelong adventure!

Oh, if you'd like to watch, it's on Direct TV Ch#376. Liftoff set for 1:24 EST.

[tooldummy]

That is very interesting Rocky. I wish your next nover would be an auto- biography, seems like you've lead an interesting life. A few years ago we had a safety guy that worked with NASA back when you did and knew you. (I sent you a PM back then about it). I was about as impressed with him knowing you as if he would have been Elvis's chauffer or something.

[Ak_Red]

I grew up just across the river from Cape Canaveral (Titusville). The one thing we never missed were the launches. From 1971 to 1985 I sat at the rivers edge waiting for lift off. Could be we listened to you while waiting. I remember the last two Saturn V launches (Apollo 17 and the Skylab mission). Nothing matched the majesty of the Saturn V taking off. All of our neighbors worked at the Cape. It was, and still is a big part of life down there.

[TreeDoc]

I heard it was going up today and on an Atlas too. Thats a big booster if I recall. Seems to me the last one of those that took off from out here at Vandenburg AFB was a number of years ago.

My Dad worked as a Sales Engineer for North American Rockwell in Downey, CA back in the 60's. That's where the Apollo Command Module was built and later, the Space Shuttle. We always got to go down after the capsule had been recovered and take a peek inside. Unfortunately, I was never able to view a Saturn V launch over in Florida but that was in an exciting day when they'd pull you out of class and everyone would pile into the cafeteria and watch a launch or perhaps a return on a small by today's standards, black & white TV if it happened during school hours.

I wish people would treat it the same these days but that's wishful thinking. It IS fun thinking how neat things were back then!

[Aim to maim]

A couple of days late, but according to the last news report I saw, it's on its way. A lot of hard work by a lot of talented people.

I suspect it's somewhat sobering to a few of the senior members of the team to realize they may not be around for the ultimate payoff of the mission, 9 years from now.

[denton]

I did get to see a night launch of the shuttle once, but from a peculiar vantage point.

Two of us were in Florida, doing a piece of work for our employer. At the hotel, they had fliers advertising a shuttle bus to the launch. But the launch was the evening we were leaving, and staying would have meant paying for air travel changes and an additional night in the hotel, out of our own pockets. We concluded that we could manage that, but my friend had a hard commitment to be home.

So, we're on our flight, probably 200 miles up the coast, when the captain comes on the PA: Ummmm... we've just gotten word that the launch will be happening in a few seconds. I've never tried this before, but I'm going to turn the aircraft East, so you may be able to see something out the right side of the aircraft.

A few seconds later, the shuttle did light up the night, even that far away. It was spectacular. Even more spectacular, it was at our altitude in just a few seconds, and soon lost out of sight above us.

[gregarat]

I would love to watch it, but what is the name of the station? Oh, if you'd like to watch, it's on Direct TV Ch#376. Liftoff set for 1:24 EST.I have full cable not Direct T.V. What I mean is, is it The History Channel, Discovery, etc?


Edit: I looked it up I dont have the NASA t.v. station:(

[WyoShooter]

Great post!
I watched the launch too. I always watch the ones that have some segnificance to them like this one. I explained to my boy, (he watched with me) that when this probe finally makes it to Pluto he will be graduating high school. His eyes got big and he said," That's a long ways." Then he looked at me again and said, "And you'll be real old then." I had to wrestle him to the ground for that one.:D

I remember as a kid watching the Apollo launches and the moon landing. What sticks in my mind all these years is that "beep" noise when they would broadcast the communications between the astronauts and the space center.

I was sitting in a NCO club in Schweinfurt Germany eating breakfast watching the launch when the Challenger went up in flames. Hard to believe it's already been twenty years ago that happened. I kind of get emotional thinking about that one and when President Reagan gave a speech about it on TV expressing his sorrow.:(

[Montana Cowboy]

Howdy All
I don't think they actually launch Atlas and Saturn rockets, they just push the earth away from themselves. MC

[Mil Dot]

I just saw in the local paper that the Voyager craft just went beyond Plutos orbit and is the first human craft into "outter space".

It said it was launched in 1977 ... now we just get to wait for Vgr to return as predicted by Star Trek. I hope Capt. Kirk will be around to save the world!

[Rocky Raab]

Voyager is just the latest craft to go past the outer limits of our own solar system.

Pioneer 10 is now silent, having sent its last signal due to decay of its power source. It has or is about to cross the heliosphere - the border of where the solar wind interacts with the universe.

Voyager 1 has now passed Pioneer 10, even though it was launched later, and is the farthest manmade object from Earth.

See more details HERE (http://spaceprojects.arc.nasa.gov/Space_Projects/pioneer/PNhome.html)