Countdown

Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:52 am » by **WillEase666**

This morning's countdown to liftoff of NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes spacecraft continues as planned at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The countdown has entered the final built-in hold at the T-4 minute mark and the launch team is not working on any technical issues with the spacecraft or the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Weather continues to be favorable, with forecasters now predicting a 90 percent chance of allowable conditions at launch time. Launch remains set for 4:07 a.m. EDT at the start of a 20-minute launch window.

Watch launch live:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:08 am » by **Spock**

Any minute now. Clear night. Wonder if I'll see it from here hundreds of miles away.

Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:12 am » by **WillEase666**

They are locked in the four minute hold. The launch window is 20 minutes so we'll see. :look:

Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:13 am » by **WillEase666**

Spock wrote:Any minute now. Clear night. Wonder if I'll see it from here hundreds of miles away.

On a clear night you can...at least from Tampa.

Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:16 am » by **Spock**

Yea, I was at New Smyrna beach on my first wedding honeymoon when a space shuttle went up from the cape. 60 miles away and we still heard and felt it. You couldn't actually see the shuttle itself, but the plume was massive.

Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:18 am » by **WillEase666**

Delayed till 4:25 am EST...

Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:26 am » by **WillEase666**

Scrubbed till tomorrow :hell:

Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:35 am » by **WillEase666**

Well, perhaps it's a good thing the launch was delayed. More of you will know about the launch.
Meanwhile, here is the rollout of the RBSP probes on Atlas V...

Upload to Disclose.tv

(boring

)

Sat Aug 25, 2012 4:02 am » by **WillEase666**

Just a reminder...

For those of you that can't see the launch from your back yard...
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Sat Aug 25, 2012 4:06 am » by **WillEase666**

One thing about this comes to mind...the probes are for studying the radiation belts. Why now instead of say, before you sent astronauts through them.