NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander is set to launch on Saturday (tomorrow) morning at 5:26 a.m. Eastern time. Oddly, I may miss the live broadcast. 
Phoenix is a very ambitious Mars lander: it will land in the high northern latitudes on Mars and look for signs of life.
I had to laugh wryly though, at the NASA press release: it was titled, "Mars Craft Ready to Launch Before Dawn on Saturday". Why is that funny? Because another NASA mission, named Dawn, had its launch postponed to make way for the Phoenix launch… so literally, Phoenix launches before Dawn. I wonder if the mission team for Dawn is laughing, too.
Yeah, probably not.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Pretty good if it launches at 5:26 a.m. eastern and you were willing to get up at 3:26 your time to watch. 2:26 my time, so I’ll definately miss the launch.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:24 pm
For what it’s worth , I thought it was funny!
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:29 pm
I thought it was funny too, during the day, but not before dawn.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Does NASA have a conspiracy to make sure that I can not see live launches anymore? First, I miss the last shuttle launch. Now, Phoenix launches too early for me to watch and the shuttle launch has been delayed till Wednesday, when I will be at work. Damn you NASA!
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:48 pm
“Dawn, go away I’m no good for you” (Frankie Valli)
“By the time I get to Phoenix, she’ll be rising” (Glen Campbell)
These two songs will be playing in my head as I stand on the causeway and wish Phoenix off. Boy I better get to bed now!
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Yeah, it’s the launch days when I realise how lucky I am to be in Florida, where we watch the tube until the vehicle clears the tower, then go outside and actually see that point of fire climb into space. No matter what someone is doing, even if they were utterly uninterested moments before, tapping a stranger on the shoulder and pointing to a rising piece of human ingenuity on a journey to the Outside always produces a moment of shared awe.
Nearly the entire state, as well as southern Georgia can easily see night launches, but even in Gainesville, about 150 miles from Canaveral, day launches can be seen, but with a lot less detail (at night one can easily observe the Shuttle jettison its tanks and booster).
August 4th, 2007 at 3:37 am
My son wanted to see the launch, so we were up at 2:20 for it. Too bad the video on the nasa tv feed froze, so we just had audio. Damn. icangoez2bednow?kthxbye.
August 4th, 2007 at 3:52 am
It was a good launch, and Phoenix is now in a circular parking orbit, about 90 miles up. Still to go: 2nd stage firing to insert into Mars trajectory.
http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/phoenix/status.html
Can’t wait for may 2008 and landing
August 4th, 2007 at 6:37 am
It was a beautiful launch. And yes, right before “Dawn.”
It’s cool to think that as we are ramping up our telescopic observations of Mars as it comes to opposition in December, Phoenix is coasting its way there for rendezvous and landing next May.