I know we're all supposed to hate Facebook these days, but one thing I still love about it is the memories feature. While I don't consume content there anymore, I still use it for two things: 1. Messenger to stay in touch with my network throughout the years and 2. The albums where I still upload or expect to get tagged in other people's uploads, of cool events.
Thus today I received a bunch of notifications of memories from 8 years ago. From the day in which I launched a pink rocket (named "My little rocket") at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launchpad 39A. In case you're not familiar with it, this is the launchpad that was used for Apollo 11, and most of the Apollo missions, as well as the main bulk of the Space Shuttles and now SpaceX.
So needless to say, being able to walk up to it, and place my own rocket there was quite surreal. It is still to this day my most unique and memorable experience and one that I covered in one of my first posts on the blockchain here back when I first started out a space-blog here.
So although this is a bit of a repost from then, I suppose most of you reading this today will not have seen my original post 3 years ago. Also, it's one of those days that are always worth remembering and sharing.
I still recommend anybody that I meet who expresses a clear desire to work in the space sector to apply to the International Space University's summer program (SSP). And don't think about what age you might be, the average age when I attended was 32 years old, and I shared a flat with a Chinese senior engineer in his mid-50s who was also participating in the same way as I, who was just 21 at the time).
It's funny because even to this day when I attend space conferences, I meet people who although we've never met before know me as "the guy who launched a pink rocket at launchpad 39 A". Because one of their colleagues told them the story just as something random and crazy.
Which is cool, because it's one thing that has become one of my many mottos over the years: To do something just because it's funny, as the worst thing that can happen (usually) is that it becomes a good story.
Indeed a great experience I am sure of it. Did the rocket record any data from the launch (altitude, pressure, etc for example)? or was just a "simple" rocket launch?
It carried a toy Unicorn, so I would call it a" super serious" launch!
On a serious note. It reached an altitude of 690 feet and stayed in the air for about 45 seconds.
The whole point was to be a student rocket as part of our exam. And the challenge was to get as close as possible to 1000 feet and 50 seconds in the air. (While also carrying a raw egg and 1 pound crystal that had to come back down whole).
😆 Interesting payload 😎 Very interesting comparison picture LOL