This year Rob and I went to Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to watch a rocket launch to the space station. This is one of those things that is a once in a life time experience. I've attached a link that will give you more information about the rocket if you're interested.
The reason why we were invited by Orbital to attend this history making event is because Rob happens to be an engineer on the Antares rocket motor at his work, ATK. He didn't specifically work on the stage 2 motor of the rocket that launched in September but he has been working on the motor that will launch in December. This rocket is a cargo rocket that takes supplies to the space station and it is the first time in the history of NASA that they would pay an outside company to do this. It was truly and incredible experience to watch this launch.
So to our trip....
It was a long day of flying to get to Norfolk, Virginia but once we got there it was pretty nice. We picked up our rental car then headed to Chincoteague Island where we stayed for several days, hoping that the rocket launch would take place.
We drove through a modern marvel, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge / Tunnel. I did a Google search for some pictures to show you. I highly recommend doing a search yourself.
But before we got to the bridge, I have to tell you this. We just left the toll gate, it was dark already and I wasn't paying attention. All of a sudden Rob swerved our car to the right. I seriously thought we were going to crash, but then he swerved back straight. Apparently we hit a possum or a raccoon. Whatever it was, it went right underneath the tire. I didn't see it, I didn't feel it, and I didn't hear it. The car handled like a champion. Rob said he heard it and felt it. Either I need glasses, a hearing aid, some new nerves, or the Nissan we were in is built to be like a luxury car. I will add that some of the people on the trip with us saw the dead animal lying on the side of the road after they went through the toll gate.
Moving on. The pictures below are from the Google search I did. I will not take any credit for them as I have copied them from the internet. The first once has some interesting facts about the bridge and the second picture is a sky view of part of the bridge/tunnel. I was not able to take any of our own pictures because the first time over it was dark, and the second time over we were in a rush to get to the airport.
It was a really neat drive and I'm thankful I got to experience it. It is an amazing bridge/tunnel, a true engineering marvel that gets your brain turning, asking questions you don't normally think about.
After we got over the bridge, we drove for probably another hour, maybe longer to get to Chincoteague Island. It is very remote on the eastern shore of Virginia; I'm talking 2 radio stations that definitely do not play any music anyone would ever like and there were a ton of gas stations. It looked almost creepy driving through at night with nothing but trees and highway. Chincoteague Island is very cute though. Again, here is a picture from Google so you can see just where this island is.
Once we got checked into the hotel, we were starving. We went to our room, called for pizza (but it was closed), then lounged around for a second trying to decide what to do. We opened the balcony door and there was a band playing at the bar right next to the hotel. We were literally on the water and it was so nice to sit there for 5 minutes enjoying the peacefulness of the ocean as well as the live music that was entertaining several people. But food is important, so we went on the hunt. It was late and just about everything but the bar was closed. We drove around and found a gas station that also had a little deli. That was authentic Italian food, I can say that honestly because I've been to Italy, I know. It was damn good! After that, it was bed time.
Here is a morning view from our hotel room.
Here are the ducks coming to get food from me. They were on a mission!
The next morning we went to a meeting about the rocket. The majority of the people at this meeting were people who had worked on the motor and were familiar with it, but I found it really interesting because I knew nothing about the motor and honestly didn't know that much about Rob's job. He doesn't really talk about work at home. After the meeting, Rob went on a tour of the flight facility and I stayed in the room doing homework. That evening we had a nice dinner with the ATK people.
The day after that was about as eventful. Actually it was really eventful. Rob went to a meeting in the morning while I slept in. He picked me up around lunch and we went to get our visitor passes for the launch. We did a little shopping and went to the NASA museum. After that, we met up with everyone at the hotel to go on a tour of the Orbital hangar bay and go take pictures with the rocket (from a distance of course).
Going into the giant Orbital hangar bay was incredible! It was fascinating to see an entire rocket laid out before they put it together. We were able to see the stage 1 rocket which was built by a Russian facility. It was the size of a bus, maybe bigger. Then we saw the stage 2, which is the one Rob's work does. And then we saw the cargo case that Orbital makes. The engineering is outstanding to me and it really is inspiring. To see something like this that men think up and then build is what makes me feel ambitious to do something great with my life. I love science!
We all loaded back into the shuttle and went as close as we were allowed to take pictures with the rocket. I zoomed in a bit with my camera and snapped this. The rocket is gigantic!
We skipped the fancy reception that night and went to a nice restaurant on the shore. We had the best seafood and nice conversation with some of the other engineers. East coast seafood is the best!
The following day was launch day. We were all so relieved that the launch was going to happen and the weather was behaving to make this possible. We packed our stuff and checked out of the hotel because right after the launch we would have to book it to the airport so we wouldn't miss our flight. We all met at the Chincoteague Community Center and loaded the buses to Wallops Flight Facility. Once we got off the bus, we walked over to the tents to grab snacks, use the "facilities," and spray on bug spray. I took some pictures while we waited for the launch. The energy in this area is pretty easy to explain. The anticipation of the launch was high as well as the worry that there is always a possibility that something could go wrong. After the launch, the tension and relief that it was a success could be felt vibrating through the crowd.
Here we are in front of the countdown clock.
One of the many televisions under the tent.
Rob looking good in his NASA shirt.
Here is the YouTube link to watch the launch. OPEN IT ALREADY!
And now the launch.
After the launch, everyone migrated under the tent to share a champagne toast and cake pops in celebration of the successful launch. A few people spoke and the general air of excitement was not dissipating at all. Shortly after though, we all loaded the buses and headed back to the community center. Rob and I hopped in the car and drove back to the airport in Norfolk. The highway was not as scary in the daylight and seeing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the daylight was beautiful.
The launch was AWESOME! I'm so glad I was there to experience this. The sound, vibration, the power of watching this man-made marvel was fantastic and I hope that we are invited to see another one in our lifetime again. I'm so proud of Rob and feel very lucky to be married to someone who enjoys science the way I do. It always leaves room for a good conversation. I hope you enjoyed the post and I'll post again soon.
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