NASA Wallops Island,Virginia - Launch Video 9-21-10

AND NO, I couldn't see the plume from my house (for some reason) though I should have been able to since I saw the remnants of one from Western Branch before. Anyway, being the nerd I am, I had to watch the Web Cast and then look for it outside, so this is just video/pic's from the computer all wrapped up into a short video.
FYI - This was a Terrier-Orion sounding rocket. Sounding rockets are generally sub-orbital rockets used for various purposes. For instance, they can cover the area between the ranges of high-altitude balloons and low Earth orbit satellites, and go higher than that if needed. Research in aeronomy and microgravity can be carried out on such space vehicles, as well as observations for ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy. These sounding rockets also offer a low-cost test bed for systems being tested for more expensive and riskier missions. The term sounding rocket has ties to early nautical jargon, as sailors would throw a weighted line into the water to 'sound' (measure) the depth. These small rockets with their ability to provide a measure(s) thus took on their present name.
This particular launch acted mostly as a test bed for various telemetry and communications systems that are being evaluated for future missions.

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Science & Technology

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