Saturday Rocket Launch Should Be Visible Along Outer Banks

By Kari Pugh
THE OUTER BANKS VOICE

A rocket launch now planned for Saturday at 4:01 a.m. from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore should be visible from the Outer Banks.

The launch has twice been delayed because of weather conditions.

NASA has a viewability map that shows when you can see the rocket following the launch. When accessed from a smartphone browser, the Wallops Mission Status Center website can provide specific viewing information based on your location.

Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket will be carrying a Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station, with 7,400 pounds of crew supplies and hardware, including science and research projects in support of dozens of research investigations, according to a NASA release.

Projects include:

    A test of the first integrated 3D printer and recycler to turn waste plastic materials into high-quality 3D-printer filament to create tools and materials, a key capability for future long-duration space missions beyond low-Earth orbit;

    A lab-on-a-chip investigation looking at skeletal muscle cells, which aims to better understand muscle growth and repair in microgravity;

    A student experiment that focuses on the evaluation of self-healing materials in microgravity;

    Research to develop a mathematical model for how an astronaut’s perception of motion, body position and distance to objects changes in space; and more.