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| Atlas V AFSPC-5 Launch - May 20, 2015 |
Late spring mornings make for great
launch days! I was up at the Cape to witness the ULA Atlas V launch
of the AFSPC-5 mission, also known as the Air Force's secretive
Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle spaceplane. It was flawless.
I'll admit a weakness of mine: I have
no sense of direction. I was staring at the wrong pad when this bird
took off. By the time I realized it, the rocket was too high in the
sky to get the pretty landscape shot I wanted. Next time! I do love
rocket trails, though.
Late spring mornings are also lovely
times to sunbath in the water. Some tourists speaking a foreign
language pointed this big alligator out as I drove along the NASA Causeway
and I couldn't resist pulling over for a look. I must admit, peeking out to watch the launch from the water
sounds wonderfully refreshing.
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| Can you spot the gator eyes? |
This rocket also carried the Planetary
Society's LightSail spacecraft. When I was working at Marshall Space
Flight Center, I had the pleasure of knowing a NASA scientist working
on solar sail technology and touring his lab. Light is make up of
photons, and these energetic photons can exert pressure known as
radiation pressure. Photons from our Sun, for example, can push a
spacecraft similar to how wind pushes a boat's sails, hence the name
solar sail.
Future LightSail mssions will test this
propulsion method. Today's launched LightSail spacecraft will test
the satellite systems in preparation for the real thing, hopefully in
a year. I had the pleasure of meeting the Chief Operating Officer of
of the Planetary Society on Sunday who is in town for the launch. I
wish the Planetary Society all the best!
The Planetary Society's more public
face, Bill Nye, is in town as well, though I didn't catch him this
trip. I've met him twice or thrice before, most recently at a
Planetary Society gathering for the MAVEN launch to Mars in 2013.
Admittedly I've never seen an episode of The Science Guy and had
never even heard of the show until a few years ago, so I see Bill Nye
as educator rather than a celebrity, but it's still neat to see how
he inspires others.
In November 2013, Bill Nye gave a talk
at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex before we Planetary
Society visitors and guests gathered on buses for a Cape tour and
up-close look at MAVEN's Atlas V. He had quite a crowd gathered
around him at all times, people of all ages! That same evening I gave
a public science talk at the Planetary Society's Science Cafe event
following Bill Nye's impromptu remarks, and he's a hard act to
follow! It's a beautiful thing when science celebrities can inspire
the public. I may not know his TV personality, but I admire his
dedication to science education and advocacy.
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| MAVEN / Atlas V on the launch pad - Nov. 17, 2013 |
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