{"id":1390,"date":"2018-05-27T00:22:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-27T04:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/173.63.58.177\/visualrealms\/?p=1390"},"modified":"2023-03-24T08:51:19","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T12:51:19","slug":"nasa-orbital-atk-rocket-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visualrealms.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/27\/nasa-orbital-atk-rocket-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA: Antares Orbital ATK Rocket Launch – My First NASA Social"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s not every day that I connect with NASA.\u00a0 In fact, it’s never happened before.\u00a0 But on May 8, 2018 I received an email from NASA’s social media group notifying me that my application had been accepted to attend the next NASA Social event in Chincoteague, Virginia at the Wallops Flight Facility to watch the next Antares\u00a0Orbital ATK rocket launch with the Cygnus spacecraft on a resupply mission headed to the ISS (International Space Station) – yes that was a mouth full.<\/p>\n

I think it’s important to emphasize\u00a0the coolness of the above.\u00a0 I’ve watched rocket\u00a0launches online in the past but never have I seen one live.\u00a0 That’s not the cool part.\u00a0 The cool part is that when attending the NASA Social event, a group of people who are active in social media are given the behind the scene, up close and personal access to areas that only NASA, ATK, Wallops, Cygnus and other employees have access to.\u00a0 This is not some pay tour that just gets you past the visitor center, this is a specific tour NASA has put together that exposes social media users to a first-hand look at the cool things that are still going on at NASA, space, space travel, science and so much more!<\/p>\n

To be clear, I had to pay my\u00a0own way to the event and at no time did NASA ever direct me on what to say or show from the event.\u00a0 This was nothing more than “this is what we do, please share it if you want”.\u00a0 Share it, I will.\u00a0 I mean who wouldn’t want to see all the science that goes into a launch?\u00a0 Anti-scientist?\u00a0 Is there such a thing?\u00a0 Who wouldn’t want a “back-stage pass” to the coolest concert in town?\u00a0 I know I did and so I jumped on the opportunity to pack every camera I had, cancel the garage sale my family had planned and abandon my wife and daughter for the weekend to drive to Virginia to witness my first launch.<\/p>\n

For me, there were so many unknowns, so many questions!\u00a0 How much gear do I bring?\u00a0 How close will I be to the launch?\u00a0\u00a0Do I get to see the rocket up close?\u00a0 Do I get to touch it?\u00a0 Why is the launch at 4:39 in the morning – you’re NASA, can’t you just launch these things at a more reasonable hour?\u00a0 Is the launch like NASCAR loud or just kinda loud?\u00a0 All of these questions and more will be answered on my trip.\u00a0 Read on for more.<\/p>\n

Preparation for the Trip:
\n<\/b>I brought almost every camera and lens I own.\u00a0 I didn’t know what I would need and I didn’t know exactly what they would let me bring onto the shuttle bus, behind the scenes or to the launch.\u00a0 I also\u00a0brought two different camera bags not knowing what sort of day I was going to have.\u00a0 Was there going to be a lot of walking or sitting or standing around?\u00a0 Would I need a tripod?\u00a0 Would I even have time to set up a tripod for anything?\u00a0 I brought one of my studio\u00a0LEDs to help light myself when vlogging at night (yes, I am serious).\u00a0 I brought clamps and stands and cables and chargers.\u00a0 I brought it all.\u00a0 Oh and I packed some clothes and food and stuff too.<\/p>\n

The Trek Down:
\n<\/b>The weather had been a concern all along for this launch and it was shaping up to be bad for the drive down as well.\u00a0 I\u00a0had been watching the weather closely as I am sure everyone had been.\u00a0 Friday, the day I would set out on my 5-hour drive down to the Chincoteague area I received an update email from the NASA social team.\u00a0 The weather had ultimately been too much of a concern and the launch had been moved from Sunday at 4:39 am to Monday in the same time slot.\u00a0 After discussing with my family, I quickly adjusted my schedule, hit the local supermarket for additional food supply and embarked on what would be a very uneventful, but soggy drive down to Virginia.\u00a0\u00a0I won’t bore you with the details of my 5-hour drive but I will mention the flooded campground I discovered upon my 11 pm arrival that night.\u00a0 Apparently, this area had received a bunch of rain over the past few weeks so I more or less was camping in a swamp.\u00a0 The morning would reveal how extensive the flooding was, although I had had a pretty good idea because I had to use my flip flops to wade through the water that night to get to the bathroom so as not to soak my one and only pair of sneakers.<\/p>\n

Saturday, Day 1:
\n<\/b>Since the overall schedule had changed, the NASA Social group’s call time had moved from 8 am to 12 pm, which was nice.\u00a0 It gave me a chance to cook a full breakfast, make some coffee and get to know my surroundings… and by get to know my surroundings, I mean outside of the KOA campground.\u00a0 Since this blog post is supposed to be about the NASA Social event, I won’t share too much in the way of my explorations but I will say that I had never been to or even heard of Chincoteague prior to this adventure.\u00a0 I recommend it.<\/p>\n