This evening we had great visibility to see the Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg AFB. I have seen many launches from there over the years, but tonite was something different. Stage 1 turned around and landed back at Vandenberg within 5 minutes of launch. I sat on my roof and took a few photos…
Climbing into the sky, well on its way
Stage 1 detaches and turns back to Base
Stage 1 coming back to Earth
Simply awesome stuff to see…
Thanks for the pics stick. I missed it but lots of folks posted pic on our local community forums
Lucky duck! So freaky that the 1st stage goes back and lands vertically - just like those Martian rockets on Bugs Bunny!
The math must pan out, but I cannot help but wonder how much payload reduction must need to happen to provide the fuel/oxidizer needed to effect a vertical landing. Perhaps a winged 1st stage would be too large, complicated, more expensive, and use even more fuel due to the higher structural weight.
I won’t pretend to understand any of it; it’s rocket science. I just watch Bugs Bunny on TV. [:P]
Who you tryin’ to kid, Stick! Those are UFOs coming down to invade! [8-|]
But great photos nonetheless!
Gary
I was stationed at Vandenberg for three years. Two memorable launches. One was a solid fuel vehicle that was launched about an hour after dark. As it climbed above the earth shadow the sunlight turned exhaust materials fluorescent, and it was photographed as a strange cloud in Los Angeles.
Second, a kind of “return to launch site story,” an Atlas was launched while I was on way home from base late at night. Saw the launch in my rear view mirror, pulled over to watch. There was the common low cloud over the base. Saw the glow in the fog, and it seemed to be going straight up, not moving westward. Then, the glow started getting brighter! Then, just as it was about to come back out of the cloud, they blew it. Interesting view of flaming remains falling back on launch area.
We had a great view of this . Our backyard looks south down the coast and the whole reverse in direction was really dramatic.
I thought about your service there, Don, in particular during the Cuban Missile crisis.
It’s been a good couple of weeks for planets, sometimes as many as four (plus ours) visible in the sky just after sunset.
Just for a little perspective, Vandenberg is approximately 180 miles from my residence. All of the photos are from that minimal distance and whatever distance that was added after launch.
I still love the fact that a rocket is turning around in flight, then coming to land upright back by the launch site. Straight out of the stuff from Bradbury or Asimov… or Bugs Bunny
195 miles on 101. I’m west of you, Longitude 121.93 W. At first it was a big halo like those photos. By the time I grabbed the camera it was a hot pair of dots.
When I was living in San Luis Obispo the ICBM tests went right by the house.