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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ MSL _ MSL launch day

Posted by: Oersted Nov 26 2011, 02:54 PM

Following the launch proceedings on
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html (Live NASA TV)
and on
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27385.0 (Live thread with updates, including images)
and of course chomping peanuts furiously...

Any fellow UMSF'ers out there, and where are you at?

- Go MSL!

Posted by: Seryddwr Nov 26 2011, 02:55 PM

Go MSL - I should coco! Things are looking good for launch; currently at T-4 minutes and holding.

Posted by: Seryddwr Nov 26 2011, 02:57 PM

I'm at home in north Wales. Blowing a gale outside. Starting to get rather excited about it all - after months (years) of budget trouble and uncertainty, there was a time when I reckoned it would never get off the ground.

On the live feed, the NLM just wished Curiosity Godspeed.

Posted by: lyford Nov 26 2011, 02:59 PM

I'm in San Diego watching on USTREAM:

http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl

Fingers crossed! All GO!

Posted by: Seryddwr Nov 26 2011, 03:01 PM

My link to NASA Spaceflight forum is about thirty seconds in front of my NASA TV feed - it's a very odd experience watching people post about things that appear not to have happened yet... huh.gif

90 seconds to go!

Posted by: akuo Nov 26 2011, 03:02 PM

GO GO!

Posted by: lyford Nov 26 2011, 03:07 PM

MECO! Centaur looks good! smile.gif

Posted by: Seryddwr Nov 26 2011, 03:09 PM

Booster sep, fairing sep all accomplished - that's looking as smooth as ice so far.

Posted by: tasp Nov 26 2011, 03:11 PM

Nice shots of payload fairing separation and staging !

(Edited to add; look how slowly I type and post from prior post, LOL)

Posted by: nprev Nov 26 2011, 03:18 PM

So far, so good...

Posted by: imipak Nov 26 2011, 03:18 PM

That unexpected data loss moment gave me a nasty turn for a few moments there...ph34r.gif
Very happy to hear everything's back to normal. Go Curiosity!

Posted by: Seryddwr Nov 26 2011, 03:21 PM

Hmm. Still getting data losses - 'though when we do get some data back, all levels are as expected'.

Posted by: imipak Nov 26 2011, 03:29 PM

These continuing intermittent data drop outs are getting a bit worrisome (or is it just me?) Anyone know if this telemetry's being transmitted from the actual cruise stage, or from the still-attached Centaur?

Posted by: Oersted Nov 26 2011, 03:33 PM

According to the commentary all looks well. We will soon get data via a South African ground station instead of the satellite relay, so I guess that will be better.

I plan to post the first 26 minutes of the mission on youtube, it should be uploaded in HD by tomorrow.

Great clean launch so far, woohoo!!!! - This is wonderful. Now crossing fingers for trans-Mars injection.

Posted by: nprev Nov 26 2011, 03:33 PM

Not sure, but let's remember that the comm chain has many links (TDRS, ground stations, commercial satcom links, landlines, etc.) and there are many variables, chief among them geometry. There's no reason to assume that this indicates a problem with MSL or the booster.

Posted by: Seryddwr Nov 26 2011, 03:37 PM

The data quality has just been described as 'marginal', but it seems that every time they do get figures, the figures look OK. Around five minutes to MECO.

Posted by: ilbasso Nov 26 2011, 03:40 PM

Don't recall ever seeing payload fairing sep from the ground before - pretty cool!

Posted by: imipak Nov 26 2011, 03:45 PM

Thanks folks, pardon my nerves wink.gif
*Gorgeous* on-board video now via Diego Garcia approaching cruise stage separation...

Posted by: Ron Hobbs Nov 26 2011, 03:45 PM

Cool view of the spacecraft.

Posted by: ilbasso Nov 26 2011, 03:47 PM

Live video of separation - how sweet is that????

Posted by: lyford Nov 26 2011, 03:48 PM

Just beautiful! Thanks to everyone's hard work that made this possible... GO CURIOSITY! smile.gif

Posted by: Seryddwr Nov 26 2011, 03:48 PM

Beautiful!

Posted by: Oersted Nov 26 2011, 03:48 PM

Spacecraft separation went well!!! WOOHOO!

Posted by: Oersted Nov 26 2011, 03:50 PM

Amazing view of the Centaur stage and rotation thrusters reflecting in the pristine solar panel of the cruise stage. Sep nominal, all went well and lots of clapping in the control room.

- Now for a quiet, eventless cruise until EDL and more peanuts!

Posted by: akuo Nov 26 2011, 03:51 PM

Beautiful video during separation. I think crescent Earth was visible as a reflection on the cruise stage solar panel cells around spin-up time.

Posted by: TheChemist Nov 26 2011, 03:51 PM

Have a safe trip home little robot ! wheel.gif smile.gif

Posted by: Fran Ontanaya Nov 26 2011, 03:51 PM

Congratulations to all the teams involved!

So... are we there yet? tongue.gif

Posted by: nprev Nov 26 2011, 03:52 PM

smile.gif ...a sweet launch.

FYI all, http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7138&hl= for MSL cruise. This thread will be closing in the near future.

Posted by: belleraphon1 Nov 26 2011, 03:53 PM

Beautiful indeed!

Safe cruise Curiosity....

Posted by: Oersted Nov 26 2011, 03:59 PM

To cap this thread: a link to the thread at NASASpaceflight which gives a blow by blow account of the launch:

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27385.0

- 22+ pages...

Posted by: Astro0 Nov 27 2012, 01:15 AM

Wow! Was it really one year ago! blink.gif

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-368#1

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/casey-dreier/20121126-curiosity-one-year-ago.html

smile.gif

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