A large white cloud, illuminated by the sun, had a narrow vertical stream of white extending down from it! I called to Elliot to come take a look. When he got to the window, the winds had blown the fluffy white cloud away to reveal a rocket launching toward the heavens, leaving a narrow trail of cloud dust.
NASA had launched a rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station! This was the first time we'd ever seen a rocket launch.
A little research on-line revealed a Space X Dragon spacecraft had been scheduled to piggyback on a Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster on December 12th, 2017.
The mission: to resupply the International Space Station with about 4800 lbs. of research, crew supplies, and hardware. Astronauts, Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, aboard the International Space Station will capture the Dragon using the space station's robotic arm.
Ground controllers will then send commands to robotically install the space craft on the Station's Harmony module. After spending a month attached to the station, Space X will return to Earth on January 13th. Today I learned that particular mission has been postponed until Friday, but the launch we witnessed was not revealed.
Interesting that it will be the 13th commercial resupply service mission to the International Space Station. Among the experiments is a machine designed to make optical fiber in space, a space debris tracker, and an instrument to precisely measure the amount of solar energy reaching the earth.
Sounds like an episode of Star-Trek, but that rare sight from outer space, as seen from our window, definitely expanded my consciousness to broader horizons.
Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his armies.
Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you heaven of heavens,
and you waters above the heavens."
Psalm 148:2-4
Enjoy your day with the Angels.
Love and joyful blessings,
Rae Karen
(NASA photo from a previous launch)
