The night sky on Nov. 19 offered the opportunity to gaze at science in action. A Minotaur 1 rocket launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Va. and was visible from Shippensburg. The launch window was from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and was visible from Fla. to Canada. The rocket appeared as an orange streak that lit up the sky for a few seconds.
According to nasa.gov, this rocket was carrying 29 satellites to launch into orbit. This is part of the Air Force’s ORS-3 mission, which is devoted to launch, range and target research.
Besides getting a glimpse at the rocket, viewers could also tune in to UStream to watch a live stream of the launch, or follow NASA’s Twitter and Facebook page for continuous updates. For those truly devoted to witnessing science, the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops was open to view the launch up close.
The app “What’s Up at Wallops” is available to download for information on launches in the future.
The next launch from Wallops Flight Facility will take place Dec. 15. A complete list of the upcoming launch schedule can be found at nasa.gov.