pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Anyone who questions the value of FIRST I am going to just show them this picture, flip a table, then walk away. We send stuffs to space!

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Amazing! Actual engineering on CD is pretty cool, especially so close to build. Good luck on the launch!
I wonder if I told my friends this was student-built would they believe me?

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

I absolutely tribute both my passion for the space program, and fortune to be a part of it because of my involvement with FIRST.

Without FIRST, I would have never developed an interest in science and technology in high school. In college wouldn't have had the opportunity to work as an educator at the Kennedy Space Center if I didn't meet 233 mentor Gabe Salas. Post college graduation I wouldn't have obtained a career at Lockheed Martin if it weren't for the Lockheed Martin mentors on 1902, Ryan Leitch and Sarah Plemmons, whom I spent many hours with volunteering.

In the interview for this recent position I asked the panel of interviewers "Do any of you know about FIRST?" and I received the response "Why yes, my son is on a team!"

And here is the kicker... I'm not even an engineering major. FIRST mission is to inspire all students who go through the program, even the ones not destined to be engineers. Without this inspiration, who knows where I would have been this week, but certainly not on the 10th floor of a launch pad.

I owe a ton to my original teachers and mentors, to the corporate sponsors who made investments in the future, to the Florida Regional Planning Committee, and the hundreds of volunteers who made my life possible. I'm already registered in VIMS to support 11 FIRST events in the 2014-2015 season, so I too can help others realize how bright their futures can be.

You don't need a time machine to change the future.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Team 701 is also very excited! One of our team members, Jared Ellenberger, works at Lockheed and is an engineer that worked on the capsule ejection system for Orion. He is also a Head Referee at the Colorado Regional.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

As a 32 year employee of UTAS Space Systems, I too, have hardware on that vehicle. I get just as excited for every launch as I did watching the Mercury and Gemini launches as a kid. LIGHT THAT CANDLE!!!!:D

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

This is amazing. I can't wait!!! :D where can you go for updates? I really wanna find out what's going on as its happening tomorrow.

EDIT: Nevermind, just found that Orion has a page on NASA's site here.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Floridatoday.com is the Brevard County newspaper that always covers launches. Of course the NASA website could also be a very nice place to try as well.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Thanks! Yeah, I just found it at http://www.nasa.gov/orion/ It looks like they're gonna be updating that real time.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

This. It's my personal go-to site for any space news.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

grr weather and valves! hope ya'll will be able to launch in the next hour!

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Launch scrubbed. 24 hr recycle. Try again tomorrow 0705 EST.

Right off the NASA Orion blog:

The launch team has tentatively set a liftoff time of 7:05 a.m. EST, the opening of a 2-hour, 39 minute window just as today. We will begin our launch coverage at 6 a.m. tomorrow on NASA TV and on the Orion blog. Tune into the blog and NASA.gov for continuing updates throughout the day.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Thanks! So from a very elementary stand point, could you explain why there is a time window so small? It's not rendezvous-ing with any thing or interacting with any spatial bodies, so I would think it could just launch whenever. Why is this not the case?

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Launch and recovery during daylight, for one. Tracking space junk that might be in the way, for another. And I'm sure someone else way smarter than me can chime in here with some orbital mechanics reasons.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

My guess is the onboard batteries. Even though they run on external power during the holds, there is still a drain on them. And I think we all know what happens with low powered batteries. :(

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

Great job to the folks who built EFT-1 and the entire Launch crew for the perfect launch this morning.


Thanks, Dave.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

:ahh: the NASA feed cut out right before main chutes :ahh:
Good thing we have Twitter.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/orion/ has been giving really good updates for me, especially cause I'm at school and can check up quick about whats happened if I missed it.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

That's awesome!
Do you know any places where I can read about missions similar to this? I've been becoming more and more interested recently.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

I got my Spanish teacher to let us watch the splashdown live! WIN.

Anyway, congratulations on the big success! I heard the announcer repeatedly talking about how all the systems were functioning well and how re-entry was a bulls-eye! Awesome.

And also yes, of course the feed would hiccup literally RIGHT AS the main chutes were about to come out with an absolutely fabulous camera angle.

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

does anyone know where I can get video of the feed? I was in classes all day that would'nt let me watch :/

Re: pic: Orion is Go for Launch
 

One of our mechanical mentors is an inspector for ULA. The Delta IV rockets used in the mission don't leave the factory floor without his approval.

He sent me the following info to distribute. I hope you find it helpful.



This week, a Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch the Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1) mission for NASA, the first flight of the Orion Spacecraft. The launch is targeted for 7:05 a.m. EST this Thursday, December 4th, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.



The Delta IV Heavy rocket was built at the United Launch Alliance Decatur, Alabama factory. With over 800 employees from North Alabama, Southern Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, there are hundreds of students with a direct connection to this flight through parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or other relatives and friends.



Please take the opportunity to help all of your students learn about this historic flight of the Orion capsule, which will travel to an altitude of 3,600 miles, more than 15 times farther than the International Space Station’s orbit! NASA is testing Orion’s performance in deep space and its return through Earth’s atmosphere.



The ULA website is a good starting point for information about the launch – www.ulalaunch.com



There is a wonderful animated video explaining the purpose of the mission at - http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/11/08...t-1-animation/



After the launch, look for the launch video on the Space Vids channel on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/SpaceVidsNet



The NASA website should continue to add multimedia as well - http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/index.html



ULA will post launch updates on https://www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, and retweet the launch broadcast on Twitter; hashtags #Orion and #DeltaIV.



Thank you for teaching our children about this mission and the next steps to human exploration in space!