Comments on: Dawn launched! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:59:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Roberisco http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-164026 Roberisco Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:35:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-164026 Appreciate the info guys, thanks Appreciate the info guys, thanks

]]> By: Tim G http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49980 Tim G Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:41:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49980 Here's a 13 minute <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5412000236766165719&hl=en" rel="nofollow"> video </a> about the Dawn mission narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Here’s a 13 minute video about the Dawn mission narrated by Leonard Nimoy.

]]> By: john@thecodezone.com http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49979 john@thecodezone.com Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:51:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49979 We actually just got home (to Texas) from Cocoa Beach following a trip to Disney with the grandparents. As fate would have it, the vacation put us a block from Cocoa Beach on Thursday morning, so we got to watch the launch from the beach. Absolutely breathtaking. This is the second launch I've gotten to see firsthand, following a night-launch of Endeavor a few years ago that I'll never forget. It's times like that that make we wanna move to Florida and become a complete NASA fanboy. We actually just got home (to Texas) from Cocoa Beach following a trip to Disney with the grandparents. As fate would have it, the vacation put us a block from Cocoa Beach on Thursday morning, so we got to watch the launch from the beach.

Absolutely breathtaking. This is the second launch I’ve gotten to see firsthand, following a night-launch of Endeavor a few years ago that I’ll never forget. It’s times like that that make we wanna move to Florida and become a complete NASA fanboy.

]]> By: Troy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49964 Troy Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:51:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49964 YAHOO! I'm going to play a celebratory game of "Asteroids"! Good luck Dawn craft and crew! YAHOO! I’m going to play a celebratory game of “Asteroids”!
Good luck Dawn craft and crew!

]]> By: Donnie B. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49963 Donnie B. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:48:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49963 Whenever I hear about Vesta, I think of Asimov's very first short story, "Marooned Off Vesta". Let's hope he wasn't prophetic about our intrepid little probe. I bet he'd be mighty excited about the Dawn mission, if he were still with us. Whenever I hear about Vesta, I think of Asimov’s very first short story, “Marooned Off Vesta”. Let’s hope he wasn’t prophetic about our intrepid little probe.

I bet he’d be mighty excited about the Dawn mission, if he were still with us.

]]> By: Die Beste Aller Zeiten - Eike Pierstorff : Blog Archive : Dawn of the pronounced dead http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49966 Die Beste Aller Zeiten - Eike Pierstorff : Blog Archive : Dawn of the pronounced dead Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:53:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49966 [...] Philipp Plait mentions the launch at his badastronomy.com website, and if your at all interested in astronomy and space exploration you should check out the rest of his site [...] [...] Philipp Plait mentions the launch at his badastronomy.com website, and if your at all interested in astronomy and space exploration you should check out the rest of his site [...]

]]> By: DrFlimmer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49965 DrFlimmer Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:01:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49965 We waited so long for the launch... and now... we have to wait again! Dawn will visit Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2015. That's long, indeed. But it was a nice liftoff - I can't wait to see the next launch, in October, Atlantis, isn't it? We waited so long for the launch… and now… we have to wait again!
Dawn will visit Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2015. That’s long, indeed.
But it was a nice liftoff – I can’t wait to see the next launch, in October, Atlantis, isn’t it?

]]> By: Seamyst http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49968 Seamyst Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:11:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49968 W00t! It's about time! W00t! It’s about time!

]]> By: Markus Mencke http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49967 Markus Mencke Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:28:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49967 "Yes but all the press releases say they’rewaiting for a signal from the craft withing 2-4 hours.. did it come?" Signal from Dawn has been received at 9:44 EDT, according to Nasa. The probe is stable, solar array is deployed. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/news/dawn-20070927a.html “Yes but all the press releases say they’rewaiting for a signal from the craft withing 2-4 hours.. did it come?”

Signal from Dawn has been received at 9:44 EDT, according to Nasa. The probe is stable, solar array is deployed.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/news/dawn-20070927a.html

]]> By: Kevin F. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49962 Kevin F. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:47:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49962 Yes but all the press releases say they'rewaiting for a signal from the craft withing 2-4 hours.. did it come? Yes but all the press releases say they’rewaiting for a signal from the craft withing 2-4 hours.. did it come?

]]> By: AJ Milne http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49971 AJ Milne Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:05:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49971 (Raises glass.) (Raises glass.)

]]> By: Matt http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49970 Matt Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:24:08 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49970 Is Vesta a sphere? I keep thinking it just missed the cutoff, mass-wise. The size of Texas? A planet the size of Texas? So 900 miles wide and very, very thin? Moron. Is Vesta a sphere? I keep thinking it just missed the cutoff, mass-wise.

The size of Texas? A planet the size of Texas? So 900 miles wide and very, very thin? Moron.

]]> By: Durnett http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49969 Durnett Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:15:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49969 Here's hoping that there aren't a bunch of alien von Neumann probes waiting in the asteroids to hi-jack our little visitor! (Ohhh, David Brin, why do you haunt my nightmares?) Here’s hoping that there aren’t a bunch of alien von Neumann probes waiting in the asteroids to hi-jack our little visitor!

(Ohhh, David Brin, why do you haunt my nightmares?)

]]> By: Fizzle http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49972 Fizzle Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:14:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49972 I was watching MSNBC this morning, and there was a small bit of news about Dawn and the reporter that was on said that it was going to a planet the size of Texas in the asteroid belt! I then heard a popping sound that was my head exploding. I was watching MSNBC this morning, and there was a small bit of news about Dawn and the reporter that was on said that it was going to a planet the size of Texas in the asteroid belt! I then heard a popping sound that was my head exploding.

]]> By: scottmsg http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49974 scottmsg Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:47:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49974 "Was it my imagination or was one of the SRB’s not burning in the launch video?" The Delta II rocket used to launch Dawn had 9 boosters. Six of those are ignited at liftoff, the other three ignite after about a minute. “Was it my imagination or was one of the SRB’s not burning in the launch video?”

The Delta II rocket used to launch Dawn had 9 boosters. Six of those are ignited at liftoff, the other three ignite after about a minute.

]]> By: The Bad Astronomer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49973 The Bad Astronomer Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:55:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49973 Oops. Fixed; thanks. Oops. Fixed; thanks.

]]> By: The Centipede http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49975 The Centipede Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:03:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49975 The dreaded missing zero strikes again! The zero key is a counter-revolutionary agent opposing the Great Principled People's Democratic Leap Forward! There is no room for bourgeois ephemera such as trials in the Revolution; have the zero key taken out of my sight and shot. ~ Commissar Centipede But seriously, huzzah for long-duration ion drive missions. Getting places on the cheap is great, assuming you don't mind taking the time to get there. Can't wait for some high-resolution pictures of the big players in the Asteroid (and Dwarf Planet) belt. The dreaded missing zero strikes again! The zero key is a counter-revolutionary agent opposing the Great Principled People’s Democratic Leap Forward! There is no room for bourgeois ephemera such as trials in the Revolution; have the zero key taken out of my sight and shot.

~ Commissar Centipede

But seriously, huzzah for long-duration ion drive missions. Getting places on the cheap is great, assuming you don’t mind taking the time to get there. Can’t wait for some high-resolution pictures of the big players in the Asteroid (and Dwarf Planet) belt.

]]> By: Max Fagin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49978 Max Fagin Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:22:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49978 "Ceres is about 100 km across, Vesta 500" I thought Ceres was the larger of the two? At least, I thought Ceres measured in at to least a 1000 kms. “Ceres is about 100 km across, Vesta 500″

I thought Ceres was the larger of the two? At least, I thought Ceres measured in at to least a 1000 kms.

]]> By: Chas http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49977 Chas Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:21:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49977 Was it my imagination or was one of the SRB's not burning in the launch video? Was it my imagination or was one of the SRB’s not burning in the launch video?

]]> By: Dean http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/comment-page-1/#comment-49976 Dean Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:12:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/09/27/dawn-launched/#comment-49976 I think you mean that Ceres is 1000 km in diameter? I think you mean that Ceres is 1000 km in diameter?

]]>