So last night, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 did in fact yeet the Crew-1 Dragon capsule Resilience toward the International Space Station; it was a spectacular launch, and the photos are still rolling into social media, and all around the Space Coast, people are slowly waking up and perhaps wondering what to do with themselves now that the Big Event is past…
Well, for starters, the Big Event is still going on, even though the launch is over and done. Resilience is still making its way to the ISS, and NASA TV’s coverage continues – as I type this, we’re watching the SpaceX control room in Hawthorne as the capsule completes a course correction, while the astronauts get some much-needed sleep. Not as thrilling as watching a launch, perhaps, but just as integral a part of the mission, and a lovely accompaniment to morning coffee. Tune in for updates and replays of launch footage during the day, and then later this evening for docking of the capsule and arrival of the Crew-1 crew at the ISS.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, focus shifts to the Crew-1 first stage booster, which will be making its way back to Port Canaveral in the near future. If you’re planning to stick around for a few days, a booster return is always worth seeing! Keep an eye on @SpaceXFleet on Twitter and also @julia_bergeron for updates on its progress and arrival. And if you’re not in town? NASASpaceFlight has a Fleetcam, now, so you’ll be able to see the booster arrival from wherever you are. Check out their YouTube channel and video coverage, here.
For those of you who attended the Gray Line Orlando launch viewing excursion to the Apollo/Saturn V Center: don’t forget that you have a ticket to return to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex again this week! Trust me, if you haven’t seen Atlantis, you do NOT want to miss that. Don’t forget to swing by the IMAX theater and duck into the NASA Now exhibit hidden in the corner, to visit the space-flown Dragon capsule there! Also, the gift shop at KSCVC has a wide array of legitimately cool merch, and is a great way to lay hands on SpaceX and ULA merchandise without having to pay for postage. 😉
But wherever you are, whatever you’re doing… stop for a moment, and enjoy a few of the wonderful vistas we’re seeing of last night’s launch. Cheers.