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SpaceX’s cool night launch and landing on October 7

Posted by
Deborah Byrd
and
Claudia Crowley
and
October 8, 2018
Allan Der sent in this photo from Downey, California, on October 7, 2018: “SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage rocket. I was not expecting to shoot the event, but happen to have my camera handy.”

SpaceX executed a successful night launch and subsequent landing of its Falcon 9 rocket late Sunday – October 7, 2018 – from Vandenberg Air Force Base about 158 miles (254 km) north of Los Angeles, California. The lift-off came at its scheduled time of 7:21 p.m. local time. Wow! The photos are great! It must have been quite a sight. The rocket also succeeded in delivering the Earth-observation radar satellite SAOCOM-1A into orbit for Argentina’s national space agency. It was the first attempted ground landing of the Falcon 9 on the West Coast. Previous re-capture missions from Vandenberg have landed the rocket on a barge floating in the Pacific Ocean about 400 miles (650 km) out to sea.

Photo by Allan Der in Downey, California.
Photo by Allan Der in Downey, California.

This image is from Imgur. It’s the October 7 SpaceX landing with Mars in the background. “I feel so excited for the future. I want to go there,” wrote the photographer, who captured the image with an iPhone.

Bottom line: Photos from the October 7, 2018 launch and landing of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, from Vandenberg AFB in California.

Posted 
October 8, 2018
 in 
Space

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

Claudia Crowley

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About the Author:
Claudia Crowley proofs and edits material for the EarthSky website, newsletter, and videos. She says: "Second only to doing space shuttle documentation, EarthSky is the most exciting job I ever had." Besides NASA, Claudia wrote and edited for tech companies such as Dell, TI, NEC, and IBM. As a support tech during the wild early days of the Internet, she helped introduce hundreds of newcomers to the wonders of cyberspace. Claudia also worked as the general manager of a small wireless ISP and with the professional organization Part-15. She says: “I’ve been a fan of space and science my whole life, and I love being part of an organization where I get to learn more about them all the time.”

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