My 3 year olds are disappointed that a real dragon is not flying out LOL. Awesome achievement for SpaceX.
3 Likes
We need a telescope. Suggestions for casual use?
FYI, the stream is looping for anyone who wants to watch the launch. The 20 minute segment has a lot of interesting information about the rocket, mission, and history of launchpad 39A.
OK, I stand corrected. What I thought was a loop of the launch stream was actually from yesterday’s abort. But the launch will undoubtedly be posted later.
What do you want to view with it and what is your budget? Telescopes can be addictive, something my wallet can attest to. 
Since I don’t have a clue, can something in the $250 - $300 suffice for viewing the moon and an occasional planet? And since the ISS is sometimes visible to the naked eye, I thought that it might be worth showing the kids where Dragon is going. Although I’m anticipating there will be some movement challenges.
I would recommend a Dobsonian Reflector as the best bang for your buck. Take a look here:
If you can swing it, go for the 8 inch scope at the bottom of the page rather than the smaller ones.
You will be able to observe the Moon, the planets and yes, even the ISS with one of these. With practice and some luck, you can even photograph the ISS from your back yard. It’s not easy but certainly possible.
1 Like
Although not taken with a Dobsonian Reflector, these were taken from my back yard with a 10 inch scope and a webcam imager. I would imagine that a modern cellphone camera could match or surpass the quality of these shots (which are pretty old now)…
3 Likes
Very cool @PaulRix. In your December 2006 image, is that the Shuttle with cargo bay doors open in the upper right hand side of the image?
Thanks for the telescope info. Looking at the 8" Dobsonian.
1 Like
Yes it is. That is Discovery on the STS116 mission. It was a very lucky shot.
3 Likes
Looks like the Dragon capsule had to abort its approach to the ISS - but apparently the glitch can be fixed and it will attempt again… Now scheduled for 6AM Thursday…
1 Like
They were successful this morning!
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/02/23/dragon-attached-to-stations-harmony-module-3/
3 Likes