{"id":79698,"date":"2020-06-12T10:13:20","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T14:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=79698"},"modified":"2020-06-14T08:19:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-14T12:19:28","slug":"family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"Family friend recounts historic SpaceX launch; You can track the International Space Station"},"content":{"rendered":"

Excitement, exhilaration, and a bit of nervousness were the emotions felt by most last Saturday as they witnessed the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Spacecraft, with Apalachin, New York\u2019s own Doug Hurley onboard. <\/span><\/p>\n

The launch, initially scheduled for May 27, 2020, was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather conditions around Launch Complex 39A, according to NASA. <\/span><\/p>\n

The launch on Saturday, May 30, resulted in a liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft. And according to NASA, Behnken and Hurley are the first astronauts to launch from U.S. soil since the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/a>

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley (left) and Robert Behnken speak to their families before entering the Tesla Model X that transported them from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for NASA\u2019s SpaceX Demo-2 mission. Photo provided by NASA.<\/p><\/div>\n

One family friend was there to witness the launch, and had some personal reasons for going as well. <\/span><\/p>\n

Dan Wheeler, a 1993 graduate of Owego Free Academy, was able to travel from what he now calls home in Tampa to watch the launch last Saturday. <\/span><\/p>\n

Describing the launch, Wheeler explained the countdown, and how he then focused on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rocket was already in the sky when the noise could be heard, and the rumble continued,\u201d Wheeler described of witnessing the first launch from U.S. Soil since 2011, and a flight that was carrying his family\u2019s friend, Astronaut Doug Hurley.<\/p>\n

Dan and his brother Mark, along with parents Libby and George, grew up with the Hurley\u2019s in Apalachin, N.Y. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"You<\/a>

Pictured, are Astronaut Doug Hurley, his wife Karen Nyberg (who just retired as a NASA astronaut), and 10-year-old son Jack. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Wheeler got to know the Hurley\u2019s as Doug\u2019s parents, Sherry and Harv, met and worked at IBM together for many years. Dan is younger than Doug and his brother Dean, and was hoping to follow in Doug\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw Doug as future me,\u201d said Wheeler, adding, \u201cHe went in the Marine Corps, and I went in the Navy.\u201d They even went to the same college, Tulane University in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

The launch last Saturday, he did note, was different because of the pandemic. Sherry Hurley, Doug\u2019s mom, told him he was on the list for the launch, and that only a small number was allowed at the Space Center. <\/span><\/p>\n

Because of the pandemic, Wheeler was unsure if he would go and was feeling like he should be home with his family. On a clear day he might be able to see the launch.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/a>

Pictured, are Astronaut Bob Behnken, Astronaut Megan McArthur, and son Theo. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

But because his father George, who passed away in recent years, was such an inspiration to him, he knew that he had to be there for his dad.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave me a passion for space as a child, and was into science fiction,\u201d said Wheeler; adding, \u201cI had to go in honor of my dad,\u201d whom he noted was devastated when the space shuttle program ended almost a decade ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in the future now, and we have a private company doing this,\u201d added Wheeler as his excitement grew.<\/p>\n

He contacted Hurley\u2019s parents and told them he would be there. Arrangements were soon made and Wheeler was connected with Doug\u2019s brother, Dean. They were at Cape Canaveral and near the beach. That was on Wednesday, however, the first launch that was scrubbed due to weather.<\/p>\n

But Wheeler went back to Tampa and then returned to Cape Canaveral to witness the launch from the beach on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great place to watch the launch,\u201d Wheeler added, noting that the entire experience was \u201cjust awesome,\u201d and there was a lot of energy.<\/p>\n

Talking further about the actual launch, Wheeler said that the scrub on the first attempt was not a surprise; when he watched the STS-127 launch in 2009 it was scrubbed multiple times.<\/p>\n

But last Saturday, Wheeler said he had a slight feeling in his gut that the launch would go off, even though there was a 50\/50 chance that it might be scrubbed again because of weather. He just knew it was going to go.<\/p>\n

He was a little sad, however, that his father wasn\u2019t there with him, so there were a lot of emotions rolling around.<\/p>\n

After blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center last Saturday, and then whizzing around the Earth at speeds that eventually hit 17,500 mph, the SpaceX spacecraft, with Hurley taking the helm, docked with the International Space Station Sunday morning, completing the first leg of a historic journey.<\/p>\n

As for Hurley, he will remain at the space station for a while along with the existing crew already stationed there. It will be awhile until he returns to solid ground, and to his home in Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, you might be able to get a glimpse of the International Space Station as it continues its orbit. A tracking system located at spotthestation.nasa.gov shows the location of the space station and if the sky is clear and it\u2019s in your area, you might just get a glimpse. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Excitement, exhilaration, and a bit of nervousness were the emotions felt by most last Saturday as they witnessed the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":79700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFamily friend recounts historic SpaceX launch; You can track the International Space Station - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Family friend recounts historic SpaceX launch; You can track the International Space Station - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Excitement, exhilaration, and a bit of nervousness were the emotions felt by most last Saturday as they witnessed the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-12T14:13:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-14T12:19:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Hurley2-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1703\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/\",\"name\":\"Family friend recounts historic SpaceX launch; You can track the International Space Station - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Hurley2-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-12T14:13:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-14T12:19:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/12\/family-friend-recounts-historic-spacex-launch\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Hurley2-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Hurley2-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1703,\"caption\":\"A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2020, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Apalachin New York\u2019s Doug Hurley to the International Space Station in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, for the agency\u2019s SpaceX Demo-2 mission. 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