Nh - The Launch Thread, Godspeed little one Options

[mchan]

Right, you would think that the protesters would be happy that we are disposing of this hazardous plutonium off-world.

I think the protesters secretly wish for a launch failure so they could say "See, I told you so."

[elakdawalla]

Right, you would think that the protesters would be happy that we are disposing of this hazardous plutonium off-world.

Not only that -- I love the spin that says "hey, we're just sending the plutonium where it belongs, to Pluto!"

-- Emily

(P.S. Thanks TTT )

[mchan]

Why the heck didn't we think of this before?!? What a GREAT spin that would have been! (It would of course have been a bit tongue-in-cheek, but who cares...this reasoning is just as valid as anything the protestors have come up with.)

The running joke had been the protestors should be grateful because NH is sending plutonium back to Pluto.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

When do they acquire the spacecraft signal?

[ljk4-1]

NH will pass Moon orbit in 9 hrs.  I don't know if the Moon will be nearby.

Here's what Pioneer 10 looked like when it passed the Moon in March of 1972 in just 11 hours.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/EP-177/ch1-1.html

Just one artistic license - the Moon wasn't anywhere near the probe at the time.

[odave]

a _great_ picture of [Emily] peering at the screen with laptop at the ready.

Hmmm.... no Lipovitan-D visible

[Bob Shaw]

Right, you would think that the protesters would be happy that we are disposing of this hazardous plutonium off-world.
And, BTW,  where's Alan?!?  You think he would have had a few moments free to pop in to say hi.    
It ain't over til it's over, but I am so glad to have "retired this risk" of the stuff that blows up.

Lyford:

I think the NH PI might be hust a leetle teensy bit, er, busy at the moment. Still, you never know: best wishes, Alan and the NH team, and thanks to the Atlas team (and all the rest), too!

Bob Shaw

[lyford]

  And that's a _great_ picture of her peering at the screen with laptop at the ready.

Just don't let OSHA see that!

BTW, what does END MSN SPPT mean? Because it just ended....

PS - I hope my Alan comment is understood to be silly - though I would hope he considers us extended family

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[Guest_AlexBlackwell_*]

Not only that -- I love the spin that says "hey, we're just sending the plutonium where it belongs, to Pluto!" 

Yeah, that one is cool.

BTW, Emily, where did TPS get the TV monitor? I thought you all would have a cool flat-screen plasma monitor or something like that

[tanjent]

I'm a longtime lurker - at last perhaps with something to contribute. After viewing the launch on CNN here in Thailand I went up on the roof to watch for the Star 48B around 2:30-3:00 local (GMT 19:30-20:00) . At about the right time and place I did see something, but I am a bit confused because I have never seen a spacecraft depart the Earth before. Maybe someone can help me understand why it should have looked like a patch of bright haze. I would have expected a point of light from the engine burn, and then once clearing the earth's shadow, maybe a much fainter point source. The star background was clear and sharp so neither clouds nor dirty binoculars were a factor. Does the vehicle travelling through a vacuum carry a cloud of exhaust gas along with it? I recall reading that the gas vented by Apollo 13 in the vicinity of the moon was visible by telescope as a hazy patch. Problem is that the patch I saw wasn't elongated in the direction of motion, at least not that I could observe. Still, I can't think what else it could have been. It climbed from the SW horizon and became fainter as it rose higher in the sky then faded out so I could no longer track it. Goodbye, New Horizons - hope I'm around to observe your photos when they come through!

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

This site might help: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/groundtrack/index.php

[elakdawalla]

BTW, Emily, where did TPS get the TV monitor?  I thought you all would have a cool flat-screen plasma monitor or something like that 

It would be nice. But when we get practically all of our money $30 at a time from one member or another (thanks all of you on UMSF who contribute to my paycheck! ), we can't really afford the 42-inch plasma...

It's a different story at home

--Emily

[Bill Harris]

Here is the ground track of New Horizons from Spaceflight Now:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av010/...roundtrack.html


--Bill

[punkboi]

I think the protesters secretly wish for a launch failure so they could say "See, I told you so."

Don't forget the Boeing labor union that wanted the launch to be delayed because the 6 non-striking technicians working on the third stage were deemed "unqualified"...

NASA should feel quite vindicated today.

[Roby72]

Post Launch Press beginning now !