I am still waiting to see one here in Cocoa. Maybe tomorrow. How do they compare to a shuttle?

Aviator

I thought they retired the Atlas booster last year?

If so, you've got one hella' wait to see one.

Quoted: I thought they retired the Atlas booster last year? If so, you've got one hella' wait to see one.

Nope, your thinking of the Titan IV, which was replaced by LockMarts EELV entrant, the Atlas V which is in my opinion the lesser booster between it and Boeing entrant, the Delta IV, which uses a throughly modern cryogenic engine the RS-68 where as the Atlas uses a Russian produced RD-180 which uses RP-1.

That being said the Atlas provides a cheaper booster that in a triple barrled heavy configuration would lift significantly more then the Delta IV heavy.


The Atlas family of EELVs


The entire Delta lineage, the Delta II was the first launcher comercially developed for space lift

It is note worthy that both the Delta and Atlas can use the GEM 60 solid rocket motors to provide additional payload.

We saw the Mars recon observer go up on an Atlas V on August 12th.

Can't really compare it for you, b/c it was our first, and we never saw a shuttle go up in person.

It was very cool however.

My 10 y/o son was doing space camp that week, so we were in cocoa and got lucky with the date, it had been postponed from the previous day.

Thanks Armed_Scientist, you're entirely correct. I was thinking of the Titan IV's retirement. But when I read Atlas V my mind pictured the old Atlas ICBM booster that launched the final five Mercury missions.

So I was waaaayy off all the way around.

I think I need a nap.

dang, I can't spell so good now either

My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one.

Quoted: My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one.

Amen! I watched them all the time on tv but I surely wish I could have seen just one live.

Don't know that I have ever seen an Atlas.
Saw the last Titan shot from Vandenberg AFB as a dependant, and many Minuteman II's.

DaddyDett

A good buddy of mine was the project leader for the optics system of the RALPH telescope on the New Horizons Pluto spacecraft.  He's down in Florida as a VIP awaiting the launch. Yesterday's paunch was scrubbed for wind on the launchpad, today's from a power fault.

Quoted: My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one.

Uhhhhhh.... how old is your wife?
I never saw one but my HS shop teacher who is about the same age as the Mercury Astonauts saw one and he said they are pretty friggen awesome

Quoted: Quoted: My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one. Uhhhhhh.... how old is your wife?

She grew up in Florida as a kid, and her dad (Trooper) could get passes to get on base for launches.

I saw Skylab back when it was launched..........that was a hell of a loud noise!!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one. Uhhhhhh.... how old is your wife? She grew up in Florida as a kid, and her dad (Trooper) could get passes to get on base for launches.

damned lucky kids with their well connected parents

Quoted: My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one.

I dunno if I'd want to get too close to a Rocket launch if I were you...

Those wooden shoes are flammable, you know...

Quoted: My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one.

Well you might get another chance, when they light the Magnum off in 8 or 9 years it'll be at least as impressive as the Saturn, maybe more so if they go with a four SRB super heavy evolution.


Five uprated RS-25 engines (basically space shuttle main engines, uprated and simplified construction to be cheaper for expendable use) in a core booster that is just the engines on the bottom of an elongated shuttle external tank. The core carries a second stage that will carry either two newly produced J-2s engines or a single SSME (The RS-68 is being looked at since there are problem right now with getting the RS-25 to altitude start). The core is augmented by two (maybe four with a simple thrust ring modification) five segement ATK RSRBs, exactly off the shelf from the shuttle closet.

125-175 tonnes to LEO maybe as high as 220 tonnes in an evolved state using denser fuel in the form of hydrogen slush and replacing the first RS-25s with RS-68r+ which is basically a lightened version of the RS-68 engine used on the Delta IV with a regenerative nozel instead of the current ablative one and with an integrated power head with no turbo pump pre-burn bypass. Also a Nuclear Thermal Upperstage would significantly increase the payload to trans-lunar or trans-martian orbits.

Quoted: Quoted: My wife has seen Saturn V launches, and says it's the most awesome thing ever.  I wish I could have seen one. Well you might get another chance, when they light the Magnum off in 8 or 9 years it'll be at least as impressive as the Saturn, maybe more so if they go with a four SRB super heavy evolution. uplink.space.com/attachments/289485-SDHLV.PNG Five uprated RS-25 engines (basically space shuttle main engines, uprated and simplified construction to be cheaper for expendable use) in a core booster that is just the engines on the bottom of an elongated shuttle external tank. The core carries a second stage that will carry either two newly produced J-2s engines or a single SSME (The RS-68 is being looked at since there are problem right now with getting the RS-25 to altitude start). The core is augmented by two (maybe four with a simple thrust ring modification) five segement ATK RSRBs, exactly off the shelf from the shuttle closet. 125-175 tonnes to LEO maybe as high as 220 tonnes in an evolved state using denser fuel in the form of hydrogen slush and replacing the first RS-25s with RS-68r+ which is basically a lightened version of the RS-68 engine used on the Delta IV with a regenerative nozel instead of the current ablative one and with an integrated power head with no turbo pump pre-burn bypass. Also a Nuclear Thermal Upperstage would significantly increase the payload to trans-lunar or trans-martian orbits.

so where is the fuse and is it long enough so that you can get away

Saw both launch. Shuttle is much more impressive. One always thinks that a rocket just goes straight up. That shuttle rolls over and starts going east over the ocean and spews out a huge flame that can be seen for quite a while. The delta looked like a very large bottle rocket compared to the shuttle.

Quoted: A good buddy of mine was the project leader for the optics system of the RALPH telescope on the New Horizons Pluto spacecraft.  He's down in Florida as a VIP awaiting the launch. Yesterday's paunch was scrubbed for wind on the launchpad, today's from a power fault.

A bunch of those guys are staying in my Hotel


Aviator

Quoted: That shuttle rolls over and starts going east over the ocean and spews out a huge flame that can be seen for quite a while.

I saw a shuttle launch all the way from West Palm when we were getting ready to scuba dive one morning.  That's quite a distance away from the Cape.