Getting there

On March 20, the cameras showed us, from three different angles, the Falcon 1 vehicle at the ready on the tiny Omelek Island at Kwajelein Atoll. Blue sky, palm trees moving in the equatorial breeze, liquid oxygen (LOX) streaming from the vehicle, an occasional sea bird in camera shot. Launch control had declared “Everything green for launch”, and we watched as the countdown went five, four, three, two, one, all the way to zero. Lots of steam, and then the call “Terminal count abort”. It was 5:05pm California time, and it looked like the launch was off for the day.