I’m a rocket geek, so yeah!

Not me. Since NASA and the vast possibilities of space exploration have been so greatly de-prioritized and stripped of funding, the little bits and pieces of what's left haven't been enough to recapture my interest. It's a shame. Been this way for 20 years or more. The Mars expeditions and the few flybys here and there have been cool but mere crumbs of what could have been. I hope this changes in the future.

Edit to add -

Hubble too, a massive achievement for astronomic and cosmological research and understanding. Yet it's approaching end of life and a replacement is not actively being built. Another sad story

I'm watching the pregame show now but I'll be out in the garden weeding and harvesting during the actual launch so I'll catch the replay this evening. I hope that all goes well on the mission and the astronauts return safely to earth in the fall.

ETA: the weather for the 4:33 EDT launch is questionable. They are currently saying it is 50/50 for a go.

Thx for the reminder!

Historic moment!

I remember the first moon walk and sadly, the Challenger disaster. I will try to watch. What happens if they postpone? Do the astronauts just sit there and wait? Brave souls!

I couldn't help laughing. The crew are Bob and Doug? DH and I both asked at the same time, "where're dey keepin' da beer, eh?"

Absolutely! Houston astronauts! Praying all goes perfectly!

Is there network coverage? Does it sound like a cross between. Disney and PBS kids? A little slick.

Yes, wouldn't miss it! Been watching the pre-launch prep and in awe of it all. Emotional send off from their wives and son's as the two astronauts drove away in a Tesla Model X. Everything from the suits to the inside of the capsule is so streamlined and cool. Prayers all goes well.

Elmer, while I mostly agree with you, as someone whose career co-existed in a town with a major NASA presence, I also have some disagreements regarding past decisions and mis-management of funds and projects. We were constantly amazed at the sheer size of their budgets when other agencies were struggling. And the decisions made to not continue to improve on what rocket engines worked vs starting on totally new and extremely expensive rocket engine development (which by the way is not what you are seeing on the launch pad today) made no sense. I had friends and a couple of relatives who worked at NASA so I heard the stories that didn’t make the news. Just another perspective. It still will be exciting to see this privately developed manned venture lift off.

Oh, yes. My niece works for NASA in Houston. She's not involved this time, but we are all very excited here in central VA.

Oh yes! We are so excited. We watch the ISS every time it comes our way at a decent hour. We marvel as we stand on beach watching. . At our age ,it’s exciting to watch. Our grands are very much into space exploration.

Awww! Darn it!

Arghh!

Maybe Saturday?

It looked unlikely for weather if nothing else.

Aw, man. 16 min. til launch too.

Hey, I have to ask. I am watching the Sci channel, and did anyone else see that shark fin in the water?! I think it was in the background of a shot of the rocket sitting on the pad soon after they announced the scrub. I can't remember for sure which shot, it surfaced for like two seconds and then went under. lol

No joke, I lol'd because it was surreal.

We are having pretty serious weather here in the Houston area. Tornado 🌪 watches are happening and massive amounts of lightning 🌩. Will probably lose power in the areas affected.

We were watching the shuttle 🚀 till our weather took over the tv. I assumed it was going to be canceled with the weather they were having.

Shucks...was all geared up for it. I feel sorry for the astronauts...all buckled

in and counting down...then "hurry up and wait". Some wicked weather in

the background though.

OutsidePlaying, I can't imagine how anyone in or out of government could reasonably benchmark or assess rates of spending or overspending for the kind of work NASA historically did. It's completely a one-off activity. I'd be very willing to accept overspending on account of inept management or misplaced good intentions. But it was just shut down. NASA's work historically advanced the knowledge and understanding of the universe for all of mankind, the value of which is priceless as far as I'm concerned.

I know the Mars rover missions were financed on a shoestring by design, I was working with a company that was involved. Use off the shelf components, make due with compromises, yada yada and the end results were pretty impressive. Great achievements by innovative and capable engineers.

If you were in Huntsville, I spent a very interesting afternoon not too many years ago at the Space and Rocket Center. We were lucky enough to be approached by a docent looking for visitors to amaze. The guy turned out to be a real "rocket scientist", recently retired, who enjoyed sharing special insights and giving as if private tours to small, family-size groups, which we were. A most memorable experience. He was also well acquainted and knowledgeable about the Nazi rocket scientists (who worked on the German V1 and V2 weapons) the US Army snatched at the end of World War 2 who formed the core of American rocket expertise for decades, along with their leader von Braun. I'd just finished a book on the subject and was curious to know more. It's a story few Americans know and most should, especially those of us who lived through the early years of the space race and thought so many of the US's accomplishments were done by Americans.

Well, fingers crossed for Saturday!

I watch the NASA network on a regular basis.

I've been searching online for a replay of the Science Channel's live coverage of the launch today. Ya'll think I'm crazy or putting you on, but I definitely saw a shark fin in the water. Someone ask on Facebook. I gotta know I wasn't hallucinating.

Schoolhouse....I've asked the question in a local group. It could be possible that you saw a dolphin as there are many in the area. I will let you know if someone verifies a shark siting.

"Ya'll think I'm crazy or putting you on, but I definitely saw a shark fin in the water. "

What kind of shark was it?

schoolhouse, dolphins would be very commonly seen in that water, just mentioning it as a suggestion.

Elmer, I'm so glad that you had a great experience here in Huntsville. It's truly a fascinating story. My husband was on the same haircut schedule as one of the German rocket engineers, at a little corner barber shop. He was quite a story teller, apparently.

What kind of shark? I have no idea. All I saw was a dark fin rise up and move along for a few seconds and then dip back under the water - in the distance in the background. It wasn't a close up. But there was no mistaking it was a fin. Or maybe it was some brat kid with a fin hat on.

Dolphin? Maybe so. I couldn't tell.

Yes rhizo, it was a very nice experience. The docent we were so fortunate to hook up with was contrite about the role of the German scientists/engineers. He said in essence "we couldn't have done it (development of rockets through the 70s) without them. But they were generous and always took the time to teach us and explain what they knew so that we would understand too".

The book, which told the story I'd long before learned about but in less detail, was Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen.

You "definitely saw a shark fin" but maybe not since you couldn't tell.