Yesterday there was the second rocket launch during our winter stay in the Cape Canaveral area. This shot was a Delta 4 rocket carrying a military communications satellite. This one was a night launch which had a much different character than the first daytime launch we viewed. It is difficult to try to take pictures at night, but we had a little success. At the right is the ignition of the rocket on the launch pad.
We were watching from about five miles away with about half of that across the Indian River lagoon. (Yes, the same Indian River the grapefruit company is named after.) As the rocket started to rise from the launch pad, the light became so intense that it lit up the sky and the river as shown in this picture. It took nearly a minute before we started hearing the sound of the rocket.
And finally a view up into the burner of the rocket now well up into the sky. It was fascinating to watch the boosters fall away and the next one light and take the rocket on up. You knew when it had finally reached orbit as the rocket started moving down range rather than upward. These rocket launch schedules are always subject to change, but we may have the opportunity to view another one or two before we leave in later March.
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