The GRAIL NASATweetup Experience Part 2

Originally published 9/14/2011

Last week was an amazing week.  As you know, I was one of 150 selected by NASA to attend the GRAIL launch and Tweetup.  First of all, I have to apologize for not being able to update the blog with my experiences before today: it was the first chance I’ve had to sit down and formulate an entry for you.  So without further ado: my NASA Tweetup experience.

Part 2: The Thursday Launch Attempts

Last weekend I got an up close and personal view of the launch of the GRAIL lunar mission.  In Part One, I described the NASA Tweetup I attended prior to the launch.  In this part, I’ll tell you a bit about the run up to the launch attempt on Thursday. 

To begin with, the launch weather was not predicted to be particularly good.  During the day Wednesday the chances for good weather on Thursday morning were only rated at 40%, and there was talk that the first launch attempt might even be postponed until Friday.  We got a tweet from NASA Wednesday evening that, although the weather conditions hadn’t improved, the launch attempt for Thursday morning was a go.

Thursday September 8^th.  Thursday morning came early as all of the NASA Tweetup attendees were asked to arrive at 6am to catch the bus to the launch viewing area.  Our arrival area was the parking lot just to the east of the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, about 6 miles west of the KSC Visitor Complex.  NASA had arranged for four busses to take us all to the viewing area on the NASA Causeway, a popular spot for viewing launches.  The morning was humid but dry, and even though there were scattered clouds Neil DeGrasse Tyson was holding court by the bus pointing out celestial features that popped into view between clouds.  At 6, we boarded our bus and waited for the last few stragglers to arrive.  Shortly after 6:30 when we had collected all the stragglers, we began the trip to the causeway.

It was still dark when we got onto the west end of the causeway, but we could see the Delta rocket with the GRAIL spacecraft lit up in the distance.  We were dropped near the east end of the causeway (viewing area “D”) and everyone scrambled for a good viewing spot. 

And then we waited.  There are a series of speakers mounted on poles all along the causeway, so we could hear the audio feed of the launch team going through their checks.  The first launch attempt at 8:37am got close, and everything was green to go *except* the winds at 25,000 feet.  About 10 minutes before the intended launch time the first attempt was scrubbed: they would try again at 9:17am.  We  all settled back to see if the weather would improve.  The NASA weather people launched another few weather balloons, and let us know that they would be reviewing the launch parameters again at 9:05am.  Unfortunately, the winds at altitude hadn’t lessened, so the second and last attempt for that day was scrubbed.  We all loaded back up in the busses and were dropped off at the parking lot.  We were told that, for those that could stay over, another attempt would be made Friday morning and that the drill would be repeated.  If the launch didn’t go Friday, everyone would be on their own for viewing, since the tweetup had only arranged the busses for two trips out to view the launch.  I reluctantly let the Tweetup organizers that I wouldn’t be able to stick around for Friday.  I had to be back at work.

I was disappointed, but realistic.  I assumed I’d miss the launch: so it goes when watching events controlled by the weather conditions.  I made my way to the KSC Visitor Complex for the remainder of the day.  I took in all the exhibits (they held over the Star Trek Experience exhibits for the week), got to have “Lunch with an Astronaut” with Charlie Duke, Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot and one of the 12 people to have ever walked on the moon.  I touched a moon rock from Apollo 17, rode the Space Shuttle Experience, saw the IMAX 3D Hubble movie, took lots of pictures, and--since I apparently looked official in my long pants, blue shirt and GRAIL ID--got asked directions from a lot of tourists. (My favorite line of the day was from Charlie Duke, when asked what he tells people that are convinced the moon landings were faked: “If we were going to fake it, why did we fake it nine times.”) At the end of a long day I got in my car and headed out for the long drive back to Naples.

Continued in Part Three…