NASA Rocket Explosion......AND now another CRASH

Third Orbital Sciences Commercial Resupply Services Flight (Orbital CRS-3)

Didn't make it off the ground in Virginia



(I am watching on the NASA tv channel)

We were talking about this (the rescheduled launch from last evening) today on the golf course.  After wings and beer (after 18 holes and shooting an 88!) we all were heading home to catch the launch in the sky...we can actually see Wallops Island launches from Lancaster county on a cloudless night (I'd guess it's about 150 miles away).  Didn't see anything...now I know why.

Yeah this was supposed to be the first launch there after dark to send stuff to the ISS

I missed seeing this live by a couple minutes but when I saw the news on the FNC screen I switched over to NASA TV

So I saw the fire on the ground minutes after.

They have talked the last couple days how you and everyone in the area could watch it since it was after dark by a few minutes.

I know if I was there I would have been watching for it........and wondering why I didn't see it.


BTW I wish I could still shoot an 88 on the course

Keep getting birdies......or pars for me Norm

here is video of the launch YOW

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/10/28/unmanned-nasa-rocket-explodes-after-liftoff/

No birdies today but at one point I had 4 straight pars. Then there were those two 7's that really hurt an otherwise great round. I had several one-putt greens and only one 3-putt green. That, more than anything, accounted for the low(er) scoring for me. The best round I've shot on a regular course in ages and the day was beautiful -- sunny and near 80's. Wore shorts and a polo shirt and was just fine. All-in-all, a really great day.

NICE

Hey maybe if I do your chipping and putting and you do the rest we can get closer to an 80 of better

BlueShoes1 wrote:No birdies today but at one point I had 4 straight pars.  Then there were those two 7's that really hurt an otherwise great round.  I had several one-putt greens and only one 3-putt green.  That, more than anything, accounted for the low(er) scoring for me.  The best round I've shot on a regular course in ages and the day was beautiful -- sunny and near 80's.  Wore shorts and a polo shirt and was just fine.  All-in-all, a really great day.

And yet you are getting snow flurries on Saturday. My Mrs will be up there on Friday for a wedding.

No thanks you can have that kind of weather change.

cravnravn wrote:

BlueShoes1 wrote:No birdies today but at one point I had 4 straight pars.  Then there were those two 7's that really hurt an otherwise great round.  I had several one-putt greens and only one 3-putt green.  That, more than anything, accounted for the low(er) scoring for me.  The best round I've shot on a regular course in ages and the day was beautiful -- sunny and near 80's.  Wore shorts and a polo shirt and was just fine.  All-in-all, a really great day.

And yet you are getting snow flurries on Saturday. My Mrs will be up there on Friday for a wedding.

No thanks you can have that kind of weather change.

Definite cold snap predicted but I'd bet against any sort of snow, flurries or otgerwise. Weekend highs are topping out in the high 40s.

We had what you're getting. Monday was near 80, today, a chilly 50. Friday is to be windy, rainy, and cold. Only the 2nd Halloween below 50 in 10 yrs.
Heading to the marina tomorrow to tell 'em to pull the pontoon. Year 4 of navigation was incident free, but usage was at an all time low. (Boating weather wise, the summer sucked.)

Pontoon = money pit (but, hey, you got it!).

BlueShoes1 wrote:Pontoon = money pit (but, hey, you got it!).

Biggest money pit is golf, try playing it more then once a week

cravnravn wrote:

BlueShoes1 wrote:Pontoon = money pit (but, hey, you got it!).

Biggest money pit is golf, try playing it more then once a week

I play two times a week in season and through winter at least once a week as long as it's dry, not windy, and above 50 degrees. Last year (lots of cold and snow) was the first year in a long time that we did not get in at least one round each month.

Max fees for two rounds of golf a week on any regular public course would be $100 -- our normal playing course is $25 with cart for 18 holes at the senior rate (see there is ONE advantage to being an old geezer). The expense comes with the wings and beer after the round (but wings and beer occur on pontoon boats too, right?). $100 might gas-up the pontoon half way and you'd still have docking fees, maintenance, and insurance.

$8200 for pontoon 4 yrs ago
$1600 (approx)/yr to have the slip at the marina (May-Oct)
$60-70 to fill 'er up (only 3 tanks this year)
$50 Avg daily food/beverage cost on the water
avg. annual "oops, it broke" fees, $200
$600 Annual winterization/storage/shrinkwrap fee


Me thinks golf is cheaper...

ColtsKurt wrote:$8200 for pontoon 4 yrs ago
$1600 (approx)/yr to have the slip at the marina (May-Oct)
$60-70 to fill 'er up (only 3 tanks this year)
$50 Avg daily food/beverage cost on the water
avg. annual "oops, it broke" fees, $200
$600 Annual winterization/storage/shrinkwrap fee


Me thinks golf is cheaper...

Damn!! I forgot the cost to replace all the lost golf balls!! Still not close to the toon though.

But after we are done with a day if boating we have smiles on our face, after golf you don't, and 25 dollars at a public course in pa? Not in md they are not, hell bulle rock is 125 without cart.

cravnravn wrote:But after we are done with a day if boating we have smiles on our face, after golf you don't,  and 25 dollars at a public course in pa? Not in md they are not, hell bulle rock is 125 without cart.

There are a half-dozen public courses we tend to hit over the course of a season.  Only ONE of them (Dolphin Highlands near Harrisburg) is over $50 for a round (and it's worth it).  All the others range from $25-35.  Nearby we have Overlook, Crossgates, Four Seasons, Cool Creek, and Fox Chase (you could Google them if you're really interested in checking me out).  Again, these are during the week and are senior rates.  And these are well-cared for regulation 18-hole courses.

As to the smile on my face after I'm done playing. . .had a big grin on Tuesday when I shot the 88! For me, at my age, it doesn't get much better than playing a beautiful course on a sunny day with good friends.

Yeah these days we can get on the web and pick a time and get discounts on any course and in the winters and early spring you get the discount just because the courses are not as dry and some fairways are a bit wet.

And if you have friends that work at a course you get that discount.

Rather play golf myself. (still wish I had a bowling alley here since that is indoors and cheap)

BlueShoes1 wrote:

As to the smile on my face after I'm done playing. . .had a big grin on Tuesday when I shot the 88!  For me, at my age, it doesn't get much better than playing a beautiful course on a sunny day with good friends.

Absolutely.

I'm not complaining at all about the costs… really didn't budget it out… but knew it would be borderline ridiculous. But the enjoyment we've had makes it all worth it. Fun times and priceless memories every time out. We'll either grow out of it, or the cost to upgrade to what I want/need could drive me away. Lots of things could change the outlook.
But for now, I'll just go low end on the 'toon and play a little golf weekly (and weakly).

So what you're basically saying is that the 'toon is a money pit but it's, for now, a worthwhile money pit. That works!!

BlueShoes1 wrote:

cravnravn wrote:But after we are done with a day if boating we have smiles on our face, after golf you don't,  and 25 dollars at a public course in pa? Not in md they are not, hell bulle rock is 125 without cart.

There are a half-dozen public courses we tend to hit over the course of a season.  Only ONE of them (Dolphin Highlands near Harrisburg) is over $50 for a round (and it's worth it).  All the others range from $25-35.  Nearby we have Overlook, Crossgates, Four Seasons, Cool Creek, and Fox Chase (you could Google them if you're really interested in checking me out).  Again, these are during the week and are senior rates.  And these are well-cared for regulation 18-hole courses.

As to the smile on my face after I'm done playing. . .had a big grin on Tuesday when I shot the 88!  For me, at my age, it doesn't get much better than playing a beautiful course on a sunny day with good friends.

You'd love it down here then, we have a course in our neighborhood 22 dollars during the week. I'm still not convinced to pick back up the sticks, this warmth has done wonders for the body..

Kurt just look at the savings if you went hands on and trailed your boat, fueling on the water is a no no hell in 1988 fuel on the water was 2.75 a gallon compared to .89 a gallon, e
We used to make multiple trips with 10 gallon cans of gas and dump it in ourselves, now this was a 30 ft wellcraft slept 4 kitchen and bathroom..

Pontoon is very light weight you could get a trailer cheap, and a boat cover would cost you 200, and winterizing the engine is nothing, a five minute job.

But all that changes if you in a situation like we are, no boats can be visible from street side, and our marinas charge 10-12 a foot per month for storage, so we are in hold mode on the pontoon for now..

cravnravn wrote:Kurt just look at the savings if you went hands on and trailed your boat, fueling on the water is a no no hell in 1988 fuel on the water was 2.75 a gallon compared to .89 a gallon, e
We used to make multiple trips with 10 gallon cans of gas and dump it in ourselves, now this was a 30 ft wellcraft slept 4 kitchen and bathroom..

Pontoon is very light weight you could get a trailer cheap, and a boat cover would cost you 200, and winterizing the engine is nothing, a five minute job.

But all that changes if you in a situation like we are, no boats can be visible from street side, and our marinas charge 10-12 a foot per month for storage, so we are in hold mode on the pontoon for now..

1. no trailer
2. no place to park boat, assuming I had a trailer
3. no vehicle with a hitch, if I had a trailer or a place to park each
4. I'd never use the damn thing if I had to pull it around and drop it in and pull it (the boat, for you with dirty minds ) out every time

The cost was added in when we decided to go down this path... I have a feeling it'll be over in a couple years. It is so nice to pull out of the driveway and be standing ON my boat and ready to go in 15 minutes.

Not ready for showtime flying on Virgin spacecraft.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/10/31/virgin-galactics-spaceshiptwo-suffers-in-flight-anomaly-553581797/

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo