Videos: November 2008 Archives

SpaceX Successfully Conducts Full Mission-Length Firing of its Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle (with video)

"Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) successfully conducted a full mission-length firing of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle's first stage at its McGregor Test Facility in Texas, on November 22. For the static test firing, the first stage remains firmly secured to the massive vertical test stand, where it fired for 178 seconds or nearly three minutes - simulating the climb of the giant rocket from the surface of the Earth towards orbit."

Massive rocket test in McGregor rattles Central Texas, Waco Tribune

"The orange glow seen over McGregor late Saturday night wasnt a bomb explosion or a Martian invasion. Around 10:30 p.m., SpaceX, a private space exploration technologies company, tested its nine-engine Falcon 9 rocket at the McGregor Airport."

Video below

Mysterious fireball lights up western Canadian sky, (with video) CTV

"While it's still unknown what caused the bright light, residents from northern Saskatchewan to southern Alberta have reported seeing it, the RCMP said. MyNews user Dan Charrois, who lives about 50 kilometres north of Edmonton, said security cameras set up at his home managed to capture some grainy footage showing a big flare in the night sky."

NASA, ATK Successfully Test First Orion Launch Abort Motor (with video)

"Flames shot more than 100 feet high in a successful 5.5-second ground test firing Thursday, Nov. 20, of a launch abort motor for NASA's next generation spacecraft, the Orion crew exploration vehicle. NASA and the Orion industry team conducted the firing at the Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, facility in Promontory, Utah. The abort motor will provide a half-million pounds of thrust to lift the crew module off the Ares I rocket, pulling the crew away safely in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the first 300,000 feet of the rocket's climb to orbit."

Editor's note: These three kids seemed to be having quite a time as their father flew them in his private plane on a few weightless parabolics. The exposure to weightlessness was brief - but just long enough to have the desired effect. By the third parabolic the little boy was ready to try gymnastics (ouch).

NASA Animation: Landing on the Moon

Editor's note: Curiously, this video shows every engine burn that is reqired in the process of getting astronauts and their hardware to the Moon using Ares 1, Ares V, Orion, Altair, EDS - except the use of a burn of the Orion's Serivce Module to place Orion into Earth orbit. Did they leave this out for artistic reasons - or is NASA just shy about admitting that the Service Module functions as a third stage on Ares 1?