It wasn't that early. It was set off at 11:30 AM EDT. My son and I watched it go up over our house and he made me replay it three times on the NASA TV channel. #space
@Myrone Bagalay: Not true. This is an example of a "Prandtl-Glauert condensation cloud", which can also occur at lower speeds. They are not a visible manifestation of the sound barrier being broken, but rather the result of some pretty complex fluid dynamics in the air. #space
" First new rocket in 30 years" is a bit of a stretch. The subsequent generations of Delta, Atlas, and Titan boosters may have shared names and some tooling with their predecessors, but they eventually ended up being new boosters, (The Atlas V even uses a Russian-built first stage engine) and the Ares I uses a lengthened shuttle solid rocket motor and an upperstage derived from a Saturn V J-2. Everyone borrows whatever parts they can. #space
@burlybax: Yeah, because of, you know, Pigs In Space (reference to the Muppet Show's version of Lost In Space, for those who might not get the reference). #space
@John Hazard: Good point. I hope not, though. April 3rd 2063 is a few days after my 100th birthday. It would be nice to celebrate it by watching the first launch of a warp-field engine. Who knows, I might even get to meet Picard and crew, and have a little chat with Data, not to mention meeting the Vulcan crew. #space
@Roklimber: Haha, im pleased you took it with humility, I keep forgetting that when you leave out the ":p" smiley, everything always looks so hostile. #space
@DangerousDac175: Why wouldn't I? You're correct that the Enterprise didn't arrive until April 4th, not April 3rd. (I checked)
Besides, I've spent enough time on the internet to know better than be upset by what people say. I'm here to have some harmless fun, not to make war. #space
11/01/09
Can anyone spot Lex Luthor and Otis in this picture? #aresix
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Rock IT, man. #space
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That was my favorite part of tht show as a child. #space
10/28/09
Well, then, here's something to appease our brains... enjoy! #space
10/28/09
Godspeed, Zephram Cochrane! #space
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"Population, 9 billion, all borg." #space
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10/28/09
"This is no time to talk about time. We don't have the time."
That was the most hilarious line in all of TNG, second only to some lines spoken by Q. And a great delivery too. #space
10/29/09
The Enterprise arrived on April 4th. My Birthday :D
What? Your on a fucking Sci Fi site, did you expect anything but anal geekery?! #space
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Besides, I've spent enough time on the internet to know better than be upset by what people say. I'm here to have some harmless fun, not to make war. #space