Ive heard it described as a violent action, like ripping a hole in the sky. How close were you? I was just briefly considering driving down but that drive down would be brutal.
I sit ~200 yards away from an engine test stand and a single engine test sounds like the earth is ripping open and I can hear engine tests from my house 25 miles away. If I wear a SpaceX shirt around town, it's common for people to ask if I'm responsible for their windows rattling. Stage testing is also brutal, but the duration is shorter than individual engines, so it almost seems more tame. To me, it definitely doesn't sound 9x more intense, BUT I still recommend seeing a launch in person and I'm jealous of anyone who's able to do so. It must be wild to see it moving and disappear in the distance. It'd be even cooler if we were attempting a RTLS landing and hearing the sonic boom as the booster lands. I want everyone who can to go down and watch the launch so I can live vicariously through them.
I made the drive over once to see a shuttle launch. Have video of it somewhere. Any other time I just walked out in the yard and watched em go up.
Cool. I made the comment earlier in the thread about the suits looking like something from a 1960's sci fi movie but watching the rockets land back on earth really does hark back to the old movies of the 50's and 60's, it really is quite something to watch.
I have lived in the area and worked at the space center for many years. I still get excited about launches. Maybe that is some sort of craziness on my part that is why I work here, but I'd still highly recommend them to anybody who hasn't seen one. Like drag racing, bigger is better (oh yeah, if you've never seen Top Fuel dragsters, do that too!). Unfortunately the opportunities to see big launches are few and far between right now. But small ones are still amazing if you've never seen one, and certainly worth going into the parking lot or front yard to see if you live and/or work in the area. Only wish someone had dragged me over to see a Saturn 5 launch when I was a kid. Every now and again, we get a new employee, out of town traveler or consultant and a bunch of us head out to see a launch up close with them. It's always fun. To a degree, the whole "historic" thing is odd. I get it, but then again, for most folks one launch of a certain rocket (shuttle, Atlas, Dragon, etc.) is the same as another. I know this is a big deal manned launch, but it launches the same. The crowds are always huge, and you can come back for a "routine" launch (satellite or some such) and see the same thing with much less of a crowd. The craziest one I remember was John Glen on the shuttle. Insane crowds that closed down the highway! You couldn't tell which astronaut was him. Anyhow, yes I get it, would I be more likely to try to attend Valentino Rossi's last race? Yeah, probably...
I got to see - no, experience - a shuttle booster test at Thiokol a couple decades back. That experience was incredible, to imagine two of those going off at a shuttle launch always made me tingly but I never went to a launch. Now I want to go experience one of these falcon 9 sons of bitches.
I'm not sure if I'll see a falcon 9 launch, but I will definitely be down in Texas or Florida to see the full stack Starship launch. That'll be something to witness.
I was on a job site in Meritt Island...I.m guessing 7 to 10 miles to the launch pad. Even from tat distance you could sense the pure power of the rocket. The difference in where you perceived the sound to be and where the rocket actually was was amazing...and yeah describing the sound as ripping the sky is pretty much accurate.
I made the drive down and back yesterday. I don't regret it. Will probably go back Saturday, too. Never seen a launch in person and I felt like this one would be a good one to check that off the list. Traffic wasn't bad though cars are filtered at the first weigh station in FL for Covid testing from certain states. If you're not from one of those states you're free to go but you still have to exit. Highway patrol was highly active in SC/GA/FL. Every exit leading to Titusville was backed up on the Interstate. It took probably 30 minutes to get over to a viewing area. I imagine traffic will be worse for Saturday.
I've long contended that nitro dragsters are a more brutal experience than watching an engine test. I can stand outside the gates and listen to a full duration burn without ear protection and, while fucking loud, it's never really uncomfortable. Granted I'm standing a lot further away than the stands at a drag strip, but a top fuel pass physically hurts to listen to unless you have protection. Another difference I've noticed is the pressure from an rocket test feels like someone is pushing on your chest whereas a nitro dragster feels like it's pulling the air from your lungs. Both are incredible though and I agree that each should be experienced.
I haven't seen the top fuel dragsters, but I have seen and heard the top fuel boat drags. Stands are a bit further away, but man are they unreal. Seeing a space launch in person would be a great add to my bucket list.
I don't know if it was mentioned earlier, but a little factoid that makes the launch scrub a real bummer. Exactly 21 years before on May 27, 1999 the Space shuttle Discovery - mission STS-96 - became the first to dock with ISS.
Nothing more intense than being on the starting line between two top fuel cars. You can't breathe because of the unburnt nitro. Your eyes are watering from it. Then they take off. The pressure is insane. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
