If you happen to be awake at 8am EST tomorrow, I encourage you to tune to NASA TV to watch history in the making. Ares I-X will be launching from Kennedy Space Center. This is the unmanned prototype rocket that is essentially the first major stepping stone towards sending our astronauts to Mars. This flight will give us tons of data towards the future of human spaceflight, so watch it you get the chance!

10/26/2009 11:31:49 PM

cool

10/26/2009 11:37:38 PM

i hope it does well.

10/26/2009 11:53:53 PM

the fuckers' 100 meters tall.
That's awesome

10/27/2009 12:03:30 AM

Here is a good size comparison:



Ares I-X isn't pictured here but it is about the same size as Ares I. If any of you have ever seen the Space Shuttle in person, you'll know how big this is.

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 12:25 AM. Reason : ]

10/27/2009 12:25:18 AM

Damn I didn't realize how much a Saturn V dwarfed the shuttle stack.

10/27/2009 12:36:45 AM

Will it be aired in HD anywhere?

10/27/2009 12:40:24 AM

are there any betting lines on this? I predict failure (given the right odds)

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 12:42 AM. Reason : .]

10/27/2009 12:42:25 AM

Turn on NASA TV now! If you can't get to a TV, here is a live stream of the launch:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

It isn't the best quality, but it will do. The launch has been delayed for an estimated 20 mins.

10/27/2009 8:07:18 AM

8:39 right? or was it 29? i waited around til 8 to see it, but they delayed it so i had to come on into work. i set it to record.

10/27/2009 8:19:15 AM

They just pushed it an hour more for weather... too many clouds and too windy right now. It should be going up around 9:20AM EST.

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 8:27 AM. Reason : ]

10/27/2009 8:25:05 AM

damn it! i didn't set it to record that long.

oh maybe i can log into the sling thru dish thing and add time...

success!!

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 8:30 AM. Reason : ]

10/27/2009 8:26:10 AM

I clicked on the link, and all I see is an (apparently) still image of the launch pad and rocket. Is this what I should be seeing if I want to see the launch in 25 minutes or so?

10/27/2009 8:56:07 AM

what channel is this on in the raleigh area?

10/27/2009 9:03:48 AM

Is it still frozen? I just clicked it and I can at least see the shrubs and bushes and stuff blowing in the wind.

10/27/2009 9:04:27 AM

Yeah they're holding at 4 minutes

10/27/2009 9:07:13 AM

Looks like we are good for launch at 9:24AM EST. Countdown begins at 9:20!

10/27/2009 9:08:55 AM

got it sitting on the second monitor

Next time I want to see a launch in person

10/27/2009 9:09:04 AM

Still targeting 9:24 launch, at least that's what the dude just said

10/27/2009 9:09:33 AM

launch time is 9:24

10/27/2009 9:09:56 AM

wahoowa, if you ever get the chance to be anywhere near Cape Canaveral during a launch I highly encourage you to watch! I saw a shuttle launch last year and it was the single most amazing thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 9:11 AM. Reason : shuttle]

10/27/2009 9:11:13 AM

may be slightly extending the launch time

10/27/2009 9:13:43 AM

countdown

10/27/2009 9:18:53 AM

Countdown should be starting shortly, I'm heading to the conference room to see it on the big TV.

10/27/2009 9:22:25 AM

lol

they went to pull a cover off a probe on the top of the rocket, and it's now stuck and they can't get it off

10/27/2009 9:22:51 AM

that inspires confidence

10/27/2009 9:23:29 AM

oh wait there it goes

10/27/2009 9:25:17 AM

launch now at 9:44

10/27/2009 9:32:36 AM

90 minutes?

10/27/2009 9:35:19 AM

fuuuuuuck there is now a ship downrange or something that they can't launch over.. 90 minutes

10/27/2009 9:35:21 AM

90 more mins because of a ship! w-t-f

10/27/2009 9:35:39 AM

haha this is funny....why would they allow a ship into the launch zone in the first place? second why would it take 90 minutes for the ship to leave

10/27/2009 9:37:52 AM

wtf!? Coast Guard needs to do it's damn job. How the hell does a cargo ship get close enough where it will take 90 mins to vacate the premises? Maybe the cargo ship is Chinese and they just happened to "accidentally" wander into the area.

10/27/2009 9:38:07 AM

i don't think its in the launch zone, but in an area down range where if something happened to the rocket it could hit the ship?

idk, maybe I'm wrong

10/27/2009 9:39:33 AM

fuck the ship, apparently

10/27/2009 9:43:35 AM

Quote :

"WEATHER IS GREEN"

I love hearing this.

10/27/2009 9:43:42 AM

Okay looks like we are go for 9:45. Heading back to the conference room!

10/27/2009 9:44:28 AM

set 'em up

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 9:48 AM. Reason : for the countdown, not page 2]

10/27/2009 9:47:39 AM

"and we've had a cut-off"

10/27/2009 9:47:44 AM

sounds like warcraft players

10/27/2009 9:50:43 AM

stopped the countdown b/c of weather

10/27/2009 9:51:55 AM

Sorry. >.<

10/27/2009 9:52:14 AM

LEROY JENKINS!!!!!!

10/27/2009 9:52:21 AM

its hilarious listening to this feed

whoever is directing this shindig is so annoyed at the minions

10/27/2009 9:55:12 AM

fucking weather

10/27/2009 9:59:17 AM

50 minutes

oh boy

10/27/2009 10:00:29 AM

these controllers are pussies

10/27/2009 10:01:45 AM

i'd totally have just pushed the button by now

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 10:03 AM. Reason : aha, "john coward"]

10/27/2009 10:02:10 AM

Blasted cloud cover

It kinda would have been funny if the weather plane had come back and been like "Yeah, there is a cargo plane in the clouds..."

10/27/2009 10:04:42 AM

cool...i didn't miss this. its still on the launch pad.

10/27/2009 10:18:26 AM