Look Up! You Might See a NASA Rocket Launch Tonight
A Minotaur rocket via NASA.gov
Update: The rocket launched, and on Twitter, people reported seeing it from the Boston area. Hope you caught it, too.
#Minotaur launch path from my back deck! pic.twitter.com/fj3rjTU0se
— William Reid (@ReidEMC) November 20, 2013
Original: If you think you’ve spotted a UFO in the sky later tonight, fear not. NASA is launching an Air Force Minotaur I rocket Tuesday evening, and it could be visible from Massachusetts, and across the eastern United States as it streaks through the sky.
One reason you should slightly incline your head in the upward direction sometime after 7:30 p.m. is to better understand that, via the Baltimore Sun, NASA is conducting tests as part of the Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space Office’s ORS-3 mission for deploying satellites in space. Another reason is because outer space is cool, and so are streaking bright objects flying across the sky.
The exact launch time depends on weather and atmospheric conditions, but is scheduled for some time between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. About two minutes after the launch, according to the map, it should be visible around these parts. If you’d prefer not to stare at the sky for two hours, you can follow the launch status on Twitter or Facebook. You can also watch online via a webcast beginning at 6:30 P.M.
Have fun out there, nerds.
