Unmanned NASA Rocket Lifts Off From Wallops Island, On Way To Moon

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Unmanned NASA Rocket Lifts Off From Wallops Island, On Way To Moon

Posted by timothy on Friday September 6, 2013 @07:36PM from the why-is-nasa-listening-to-our-calls-from-the-moon? dept.

A moon-bound NASA rocket was launched successfully Friday evening from Virginia's Wallops Island. The launch was visible over a wide stretch of the east coast; YouTube videos are beginning to show up. The robotic probe, to study lunar dust, is the first rocket launched into outer space from the Virginia launch site.

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Oh, I get it now by Tablizer · 2013-09-06 19:39 · Score: 1, Funny

If the launch goes a bit wrong, it just may wallop the moon.

--
Table-ized A.I.
1. Re:Oh, I get it now by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 20:08 · Score: -1
  
  Waste of taxpayer money. The internet, that is. If this is what you're going to use it for. I'd gladly live in a hunter-gatherer society if I never had to see a pun that bad again.
2. Re: Oh, I get it now by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-07 03:11 · Score: 0, Funny
  
  I understand you're hurt and want to lash out, but please don't use the obsolete, feudal economic notion that governments can only spend what they take in as part of your groan.
3. Re: Oh, I get it now by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-07 06:12 · Score: -1
  
  I'm pretty sure that that was just a roundabout way of criticizing the GGP's very lame pun.
4. Re: Oh, I get it now by gzuckier · 2013-09-08 14:49 · Score: 1
  
  Why would your society want to gather hunters?
  
  --
  Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
Where's the shortcut for undoing laziness by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 20:16 · Score: 5, Informative

YouTube videos are beginning to show up
How about linking to NASA's video of it?
WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-06 20:52 · Score: -1

WAIT I live here... like right here what the fuck? I didn't see no rocket ship... damnit No one told me they where building out the NASA site here to launch shit to the fucking MOON!
FUCK,
ae1294, 30 miles from launch site? no earth shattering ka-boom?!
1. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 21:04 · Score: 0
  
  You just got to pay attention. I knew it was going to happen 6 months ago.
2. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 21:07 · Score: 0
  
  Well, that's what you get when you're smoking weed and looking at the wrong direction (your hands). They just lauched a space rocket from your backyard man! DUDE!
3. Re:WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-06 21:12 · Score: -1
  
  Well, that's what you get when you're smoking weed and looking at the wrong direction (your hands). They just lauched a space rocket from your backyard man! DUDE!
  No no you don't understand i'm doing meth tonight! I heard nothing, saw nothing.... normally I understand there is suppose to be an earth-shartering ka-boom! What happened?
  Damnit... I'm going out there and complain,
  ae1294
4. Re:WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-06 21:14 · Score: 1
  
  You just got to pay attention. I knew it was going to happen 6 months ago.
  I just moved back to this hell hole because I'm now poorer than an Enron investor...
5. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 21:56 · Score: 0
  
  Even if you knew, no windows in your basement...
6. Re:WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-06 23:40 · Score: 1
  
  Even if you knew, no windows in your basement...
  No no dumbass, I live in my mom's attic not a basements. Water table is 3 feet down if that around here. This whole area "Hampton Roads or Tidewater or 7 cities or murder capital" is swamp land, marsh or whatever. It's where the James river runs out into the ocean. Anyway my spy cam's installed all over the hood in my mesh voyeur spynet should have registered something! I'm thinking this really didn't happen. Anytime the moon is involved I think they fake it... What is up with that? What is on the moon they are so afraid of? moon men with the power of open source government or something???
  The truth is out there and it's on the moon. We need to get our asses to the moon... maybe moon rocks are smokable and get you really high! how do know that isn't why they won't let anyone buy them? You can't say they aren't can you? eh???
  damn I'm still not seeing anything strange... more meth... these tps reports aren't going to have invalid data entered in by fae. At least not without more drugs to keep my soulless husk going for my corporate masters... gotta earn that $7.50 an hour to keep buying shit I don't need.
7. Re:WTF? by mbone · 2013-09-07 00:54 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Well, you have the first Orbital Sciences Antares launch to resupply the ISS, currently scheduled for September 17. That is a bigger rocket I believe and also should be quite a show.
  
  Orbital's Antares team is targeting a launch time of 11:16 a.m., which is at the opening of an available 15-minute launch window.
8. Re:WTF? by mbone · 2013-09-07 00:57 · Score: 1
  
  You do realize that Hampton Roads is 90 miles from Wallops ? I wouldn't expect to hear anything.
9. Re:WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-07 05:52 · Score: 1
  
  I live across the river in Smithfield which is across from Williamsburg so I don't think it's 90 miles. I've driven up 64 and seen the nasa sign but maybe I was wrong, maybe it is way back from there. I visited the place once in middle school but all they seemed to do was wind tunnel stuff as far as they told us. I donno I haven't goggled it nsa might think I am plaining something. gotta protect my collection of barely legal porn. They must never take my systems or I will never recover.
  Honestly what shocked me is this area has that ability now... We can't seem to do anything right here, ie tunnels and 4 mile long traffic jams every day. Or that is how it was when I left 10 years ago. I just moved back from a much nicer place around the Asheville, NC area... much nicer people. was strange seeing cross-dressers walking down the street with rednecks not reacting.... You can let your guard down more their than here. Here everyone is ex-mil and trained to kill you in 100 different ways and mad as hell because the male/female ratio is way off...
  Still would have liked to see that last night,
  Will see the next one!
10. Re:WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-07 05:56 · Score: 1
  
  Well, you have the first Orbital Sciences Antares launch to resupply the ISS, currently scheduled for September 17. That is a bigger rocket I believe and also should be quite a show.
  
  Orbital's Antares team is targeting a launch time of 11:16 a.m., which is at the opening of an available 15-minute launch window.
  Damnit that time is no good for me can we change it to later that day? I will watch for that one... thanks for the info. still need to login and figure out how far I am. I might have been off but I could have seeen it I'm sure....
11. Re:WTF? by mbone · 2013-09-07 12:40 · Score: 1
  
  It is a long way back from 64.
12. Re:WTF? by mbone · 2013-09-07 12:47 · Score: 1
  
  You might want to look at these visibility charts. Antares will go more North, but this should give you an idea of visibility.
13. Re: WTF? by gzuckier · 2013-09-08 14:55 · Score: 1
  
  Stopped by the Wallops Island NASA visitors' site a few years back. Most people have no idea the US space program ever existed anywhere but Florida and Texas but us ancient nerds who recognize the name Willy Ley.... Aside from being very cool to such a nerd, that visit to Wallops Island has the distinction of being easily the most mosquito infested place I've ever been. Quite literally dozens of bites just between the car and the building.
  
  --
  Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
14. Re: WTF? by gzuckier · 2013-09-08 14:57 · Score: 1
  
  If you heard such a boom it would probably be the meth lab blowing up.
  
  --
  Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
15. Re: WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-09 06:31 · Score: 1
  
  If you heard such a boom it would probably be the meth lab blowing up.
  Nah, the meth lab is down at the local police station... I don't make the stuff I just buy it from the cops...
16. Re:WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-09 07:01 · Score: 1
  
  Taking a look now... O yea L-20seconds for sure... from here looking out over the james. No high rises really. I'm north of Newport News so really just trees... So maybe even L-15... I donno. Damn that sucks... Well the rig looks cool... I'll have to put the next launch on my calender... I have a decent telescope and gps so I could probably get a good look down the road here alittle...
  thank you,
  ae1294
17. Re:WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-09 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  O yea max 20 degree's above horizon. I'm right on the Pegan river. I dunno I'll have to do some Google map checking and figure out a good place. I think if I drive north a little I could probably get a really good look. I'll need to check some gps info and what not but there really isn't much out here on this side of the James and except for the shipyard in Newport News not much of anything tall on the other... So that's cool. I'll have to find some place not too far. I'd drive out there but it would be more fun to figure out where to point my telescope and camera and stuff, etc... donno.. It's cool we got this here now...
  I am building a full weather station right now and plain to have it do time laps pictures all year every 15 minutes with IR LEDS so I can watch the seasons change along with the avg temps and what not. I figured the cam would go into auto more and lock via a switch and then return to aprox last position if I was looking around with it. Got to put it up high to get good wind speed reading but it's gonna measure everything. Even going to have a rain gauge with heater element and laser to detect snow and all.. Self powered via solar and lithium bat's with backup drained mode just in-case but I figure I can build it low power enough to turn it on every 15 minutes and check out stuff sometimes. Maybe build in a wifi repeater with visitor access... i donno, might go with that low power I forget like 150mhz Chanel or whatever... still building the design. I'm just getting into these 4 and 5 buck microprocessors and i2c chips and all but I want a good lumen meter so I can software correct the lighting if I want to see it get dark or stay bright. I think if I use foam insulation I can get 15 minute cam updates and 1 minute updates on basic data but depends on how much bat power I provide and if I add tracking to the panel and if I use a proper power supply with a dc-dc converter with enough filters. Going to need to find a oscilloscope and I found a good power design on-line that can drive it without a lot of waste when it's not running full power like moving motors or heating/cooling fan, etc.... write some good code to adapt if need be until I get it right.
  Donno... gotta add power all up and do some cad and basic simulations too... I've not did anything with electronics since I was in high school but everything is really easy now with these lower cost processors and analog to digital converts and all these good plans online for power supples. Saw this one chip that take's like 5 to 35 volts and outputs a constant with only like 1.5 volt drop Might be able to sell a few if I make it right. sealed electronics with heatsinks and heating pad for rain gauge when laser doesn't pass or temp is low. Got to code it right so I can turn snow into water if need be to let it drain via a flow gauge and I don't want it to ice up so need lots of good thermal protection on the gauge part.
  Thanks again!
18. Re: WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-10 00:09 · Score: 1
  
  Now that you mention it I think they strayed us down in DET or something before getting off the bus.... West Nile and that Horse encephalitis was big at the time... I mean it has come and gone over the years... I don't really recall much of anything cool tho but they where going to yet us in the wind chamber but something weird was going on they must have had something in there that day because I remember the teachers talking to them and saying but you guys said it would be fine and we did it last year... So who knows.... I was pretty young.. This was probably in 89 or 90. What all is out there now? I mean open to people?
  I remember seeing the stealth fighter when it first was declassified too. They had armed grads which was weird to see m16's up close. I went to a lot of military type stuff when I was young because both my parents worked as contractors with top secret clearance... I remember the FBI coming out when I was real young and they didn't hide that they where going to go have a chat with everyone around your home we watched them they even asked me a few things but I can't recall what. Guess they figured if there was something it would be easier to get it out before going around and asking others. I dunno if that is how they always do it. But my dad got cleared. My mom didn't try for awhile, held out and didn't want top for many years but got it when the pay was worth the scare tactic crap I guess. I never went into the service because of seeing all this bullshit...
  I almost shoved a hot dog down Dick Chane's throat when he was sec of war. It was at the George Washington coming alive thing and it was hot as hell that day and I was trying to get across the hanger deck and bumped his arm pretty hard. I was clumsy at that age. Grew real fast. He didn't get pissed but I mean I was like a teenager so probably would have made him look bad. We had VIP access so for all he knew I was someone's important kid but really was not. The secret service really fucked up. They didn't even get to him and I was walking fast toward him but to get by him and over to my mom and bumped his arm pretty hard but he said it's ok guys and they where still 5 feet or so away. I didn't know who he was until my mom told me but I knew enough to apologize. I'm pretty sure someone got fired over that. I could have stuck him with something like old kgb poison pen or something...
  Maybe I should do a FOIA request and see what comes up...
19. Re: WTF? by ae1294 · 2013-09-10 00:34 · Score: 1
  
  Wow now that I think about it, I probably know a few things that have never become public. ie major shit myself. Pretty sure they didn't follow the law back in the 90's any better than now. I guess I'll keep it to myself unless they wanna come fuck with me for being some evil hacker or "child pedophilia" ie a problem. I honestly didn't release I even had any leverage until now. Probably not much but with so much family with secrets it makes more since why I've not got in trouble for a few things I know they know about.... Man people really need to wake up and soon. Shit has been bad for a long time now that I think back. I was really a smart kid and knew shit even when my parents never said anything. They always took their oaths really serous but when friends die and you yourself might be sick it's hard. You really can't say anything but by not saying why your fucking shaking and crying it's obvious now what must have happened given what their jobs where...
  I'd help fight for our rights but there's no point in 0.00001% fighting for the rights of 350 million. We have the government we deserve.... And yes I'm posting this for them to see... Hi guys! You guy's know I've noticed you checking in right? Don't worry I'll be a good boy I promise ;-) At least until I'm sure your totally fucked but then you guys are thinking the same... your masters get rid of you just like they do us... It's a sick fucking world but not my problem if no one else wants to help. I'm not "an hero" you know...
A good use for a peacekeeper missile booster by johnny+cashed · 2013-09-06 20:56 · Score: 1

They took the AIRS unit out, can't let NASA have those expensive DoD toys.

Once again, beating our swords into plowshares
1. Re:A good use for a peacekeeper missile booster by geogob · 2013-09-07 01:59 · Score: 1
  
  Just a thought, but maybe they simply don't need that kind of accuracy for this payload? The lunar transfer can be done with much lower accuracy (ref all other flights there until now) and at the difference from an ICBM, they have a much larger window to verify an correct the trajectory. The payload itself can also make corrections once placed in lunar orbit. Why would they waste an AIRS, if its not needed.
  I actually don't understand why the peacekeeper needed it in the first place... I mean, the thing delivers 300 kt airburst warheads. I doupt a few 100 meters targeting error makes such a difference. But you know the millitary, if they can kill the prime target with a hit on the head from a falling reentry vehicule before detonating it, they'll be happy. You know, just to be sure.
2. Re:A good use for a peacekeeper missile booster by johnny+cashed · 2013-09-07 02:42 · Score: 1
  
  You are correct. The peacekeeper needed it because of the mobile basing requirement. Most missiles would sit in a static silo, with the INS having a contant reference that doesn't move. Mobile basing required the need for a better INS system. AIRS is being moved to the Minuteman III for reasons I'm not quite sure, other than they had 50 of them for the MX program, now they built another 600 or so for the entire Minuteman program. Government welfare for the defense industries?
THINK THAT WAS A SHOW JUIST WAIT !! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 21:00 · Score: -1

The Syrian Conflict is coming !! Then Iran declares war on Israel !! Israel cries for Obama to come save them !! Congress says LET US DO IT NOW AND GET IT OVER WITH !! Teheran is a smoldering ash can of HTC phones and Siemens PCs !! Oil prices surge and winter heating oil leaves those in Virginia wondering why they had to launch a rocket !! As the world turns . . . my stomach !!
Unmanned NASA Rocket Lifts Off Wallops Island by Kostic · 2013-09-06 21:04 · Score: 0

On Way To Moon... Man, I really need a coffee.
Now add some Hollywood footage by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 21:53 · Score: 0

Add some extra Hollywood footage with couple guys wearing silver costumes and media can announce left and right; Man returned to the Moon - part II
OMG whose fault is it? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-06 22:24 · Score: -1

What if that rocket hadn't gone off to the moon but flown into an inhabited area, perhaps even a big city? Rockets can do that! NASA should install safety interlocks so that the rockets can't take off before the pilot is on board!
1. Re: OMG whose fault is it? by gzuckier · 2013-09-08 15:02 · Score: 1
  
  OMG!!! They're drone attacking the moon now! Obama! !!!
  (This was supposed to be all caps but /. says
  Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
  Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.)
  
  --
  Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
What a flop! by oheso · 2013-09-06 23:29 · Score: 0

Damn thing was headed down far longer than it was headed up.
Hey, NASA! Moon is thataway! ^^^^
Not the First Launch from this Site by Teancum · 2013-09-07 00:26 · Score: 3, Informative

It would help if sometimes some basic fact checking went into summaries. Of course how often are Slashdot summaries even remotely accurate?
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport has been used for other launches, but admittedly they have all been either sub-orbital sounding rockets or orbital spacecraft. This is the first "deep space" mission to fly out of this particular spaceport... so I suppose there is a "first" in there somewhere.
I'll also admit that it is nice to see some success from companies other than SpaceX. Kudos on the part of Orbital Sciences for getting this flight to work.... and to get the spacecraft to the Moon. It also doesn't hurt that the launch could be seen by a million or so people due to the proximity of the launch site to Washington DC & Baltimore.
1. Re:Not the First Launch from this Site by geogob · 2013-09-07 02:10 · Score: 2
  
  I usually agree with the edition problem of Slashdot, but here I see thing with a bit more nuance. First, the summary accurately summarizes the linked article. It does exactly what it should do. Of course, on a site like Slashdot, where the techical and scientific accuracy is expected higher then elsewhere, a noet from the editor pointing the innacuracy in the linked and summerized article would have been nice. But that can't really be expect frm most Slashdot editors.
  Then one can debate whether the information is accurate or not. It all comes to a poorly defined expression, "outer space". It canbe interpreted many ways. But regardless, the formulation is either false or missleeding.
  Sadly, the editors here do not edit... Its simply moderated posting. Nothing more.
Deep Space yes, Outer space no by mbone · 2013-09-07 00:46 · Score: 1

Both the Washington Post and the Original Poster apparently do not understand the difference between deep space and outer space.

The robotic probe, to study lunar dust, is the first rocket launched into outer space from the Virginia launch site.
From Wikipedia:

The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops was Explorer IX, atop a Scout booster, on February 15, 1961
Any orbit is in outer space, so the WaPo missed that one by almost half a century.
1. Re:Deep Space yes, Outer space no by rossdee · 2013-09-07 01:34 · Score: 2
  
  " The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops was Explorer IX, atop a Scout booster, on February 15, 1961
  Any orbit is in outer space, so the WaPo missed that one by almost half a century.
  Don't you mean more than half a century (1961 to 2013 is 52 years)
  Its not rocket science, just arithmetic
2. Re:Deep Space yes, Outer space no by Teancum · 2013-09-07 02:30 · Score: 2
  
  Deep space is sort of a question of distance too. Most current mission planning considers anything beyond the Moon as being "real" deep space, although the real accomplishment would be to send something outside of the Solar System as genuinely "deep space". Of course you could say they are still having to deal with magnetic fields, stellar wind, and all sorts of other problems that aren't so common in "real deep space" like the stuff between galaxies.
  None the less, it really was a neat accomplishment for Orbital Science and I'm glad that the launch was successful. It was also historic for Orbital and that counts for something too, even if the reporter at the Washington Post wasn't so clueful about the issues involved.
  Perhaps Jeff Bezos will help enlighten that reporter. I hear he knows a thing or two about rocketry and orbital spaceflight himself, not to mention being that reporter's boss doesn't hurt either.
3. Re:Deep Space yes, Outer space no by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-07 04:58 · Score: 0
  
  Deep space is a question of spacecraft power generation, and as long as we keep preventing RTG development from happening we'll never get beyond Mars again.
4. Re:Deep Space yes, Outer space no by bmo · 2013-09-07 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  >getting this upset over a 4 percent tolerance.
  I'll bet you're one of those guys who puts all the dimensions on every drawing to 4 places, even when 3 place or fractional tolerances make more sense.
  --
  BMO
5. Re:Deep Space yes, Outer space no by mbone · 2013-09-07 12:37 · Score: 1
  
  NASA now has money for and is paying to produce Plutonium-238 for deep space power generation. (Note that the Curiosity MSL rover also uses this for power.)
6. Re:Deep Space yes, Outer space no by mbone · 2013-09-07 12:38 · Score: 1
  
  In current practice, "Deep Space" means "you need to engage the Deep Space Network for communications." LADEE will use the DSN, so it counts as deep space.
7. Re: Deep Space yes, Outer space no by gzuckier · 2013-09-08 15:06 · Score: 1
  
  "How often do you feel compelled to this overly precise mode of communication?"
  "0.0007 Hz".
  
  --
  Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
Cool launch by jfdavis668 · 2013-09-07 02:12 · Score: 1

I watched the launch from PA. Very good show. Impressive stage separations.
1. Re:Cool launch by birdman042 · 2013-09-07 03:10 · Score: 0
  
  It was awesome here in Virginia Beach also! Stood out in front of my house and watched it with my son. He was so excited watching it. He woke up my wife to tell her all about it.
More bullshit by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-07 04:20 · Score: -1

Here's my question.
If we all ready went to the moon 1969, which I dont think we did, Didn't they say that brought back hundreds of pounds of moon rocks?
The very same moon rocks that has been proved to be fake by a musem. You will have to look up the locational facts, I don't have them.
So, if we went to the moon all ready, brought back moon rocks. Im sure there was a lot of DUST on them....
Well, you see my point I hope.
1. Re:More bullshit by lissnup · 2013-09-07 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  The very same moon rocks that has been proved to be fake by a musem. You will have to look up the locational facts, I don't have them.
  Here you go:
  A treasured piece at the Dutch national museum - a supposed moon rock from the first manned lunar landing - is nothing more than petrified wood, curators say.
  It was given to former Prime Minister Willem Drees during a goodwill tour by the three Apollo-11 astronauts shortly after their moon mission in 1969. When Mr Drees died, the rock went on display at the Amsterdam museum.
  At one point it was insured for around $500,000 (£308,000), but tests have proved it was not the genuine article. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8226075.stm]
2. Re:More bullshit by cyfer2000 · 2013-09-07 10:31 · Score: 1
  
  I believe it was a mistake of the museum. Rijksmuseum (national museum) thought they had a piece of moon rock, but actually the real moon rocks are in National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_and_missing_moon_rocks#Dutch_moon_rock_proven_fake
  
  --
  There is a spark in every single flame bait point.
3. Re: More bullshit by gzuckier · 2013-09-08 15:11 · Score: 1
  
  "Well, you see my point I hope."
  Not really. I gather that you are skeptical in regard to the moon landing, rocks, fake rock gifting, etc but I don't see where the dust comes into it.
  
  --
  Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
4. Re:More bullshit by gmhowell · 2013-09-08 18:57 · Score: 1
  
  If we all ready went to the moon 1969, which I dont think we did,
  Hey Bart, how does it feel to have your ass whipped by someone several decades your senior?
  
  --
  Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
3D LADEE by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-07 05:21 · Score: 0

You can check out a 3D visualization of the LADEE spacecraft and it's proposed mission using NASA's 'Eyes on the Solar System' software available for download at http://eyes.nasa.gov.
Once you've installed the software return to eyes.nasa.gov and choose the 'LADEE and the Moon' link to launch the correct module.
Wallops? by dfetter · 2013-09-07 07:12 · Score: 1

I suppose that's better than wallchan...

--
What part of "A well regulated militia" do you not understand?
The U.S. Space Program Independent of Russian Rock by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-07 10:04 · Score: 0

Barack Obama must REALLY be pissed-off at Vladimir Putin!
Unmanned???? by Dabido · 2013-09-09 00:01 · Score: 1

Who forget to fill it with politicians?????

--
Sure enough, the cow costume was hanging up next to the superhero outfit and sailors uniform. (S,Spud)