OT: I'll be lookin south at 7:52 tonight ...

[Snuffy]

This candle ought to be exciting.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/22/air-forces-mystery-robot-spaceship-launch-nasa/?test=faces

[Matt Wynn]

oh thats cool!

[FAC257]

For live tracking of the countdown and launch events:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av012/status.html

I just checked the view from over on this side and as long as the clouds stay as they are now, I'm hoping it will be visible.

FAC

[Snuffy]

There she goes!

535353545355

Sorry bout the size, I just used my cell phone.

[Matt Wynn]

Cool, hope that X-37 works, it's a solid looking design... and that rocket.... wow, i just love anything explosive and noisy... she'll be in LEO by now i'd assume (Low Earth Orbit)...

[boxcar]

There she goes

Sorry bout the size, I just used my cell phone.


That looks like no lauch I've ever seen. It looks like a large jet aircraft aloft. Every lauch I've ever seen in person had "contrails"/plumes that were very wavy behind. You sure that was the launch?
.

[Matt Wynn]

looks like an Atlas 5 launch to me...... plume may be due to no discernible winds aloft thats usually what blows the trail about and makes it look like the rockets impersonated a drunk...

kinda like so...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/2429709920_ec967f74e7.jpg?v=0

[Snuffy]

That looks like no lauch I've ever seen. It looks like a large jet aircraft aloft. Every lauch I've ever seen in person had "contrails"/plumes that were very wavy behind. You sure that was the launch?
.

Sorry ... my cell phone didn't pick up on the actual rocket which I could clearly see with the naked eye much more clearly.

But I assure you its the rocket. Fox News was televising the launch live and when it lifted off I ran out my back door and looked south just as it crested the trees in the picture.

It then coursed north over the house.

[Ken Stallings]

Well, now the guessing games can start as to its intended purpose! :icon_lol:

This kind of takes the USAF full circle. NASA's budget increases sort of dried up funds for the manned spacecraft research projects in the USAF. Now, this takes the situation back in all aspects except for the fact there's no pilot inside the spacecraft.

However, the day of remote control is here to stay. And speaking as someone who knows, it makes practically no difference!

Cheers,

Ken

[Wing_Z]

It's been a long time coming...
all the way from the 1960's X-20 Dyna-Soar.
Popular Mechanics' May edition has a little spread on the history of these vehicles.