NASA spacecraft lifts off from Wallops Island, Va., facility on way to moon orbit - Washington Post

A spacecraft was launched late Friday night from Virginia to the moon, a first for the state in the history of space exploration. The launch from Wallops Island occurred on schedule at 11:27 p.m., and enthusiastic reports of sightings of the bright track across the night sky began streaming onto a NASA Facebook page. "Great view from Bayville, N.J.," read one post. "Good job guys." A brilliant arc above the tops of buildings was photographed in Fairfax. Sightings were reported from Bethlehem Pa., from Staunton, Va. and Duck, N.C. Bill Anderson spotted it from his apartment house on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. He took a photo that showed both the dome of the Capitol and the bright flame produced as the rocket's fuel burned.l People gathered in spots near and far to see the first-of-its-kind launch. These places included the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the District. The rocket that launched the spacecraft was a five-stage Minotaur V, provided by Orbital Sciences, a Dulles-based company. Everything, at least in the initial minutes, appeared to follow the plan. Within a few minutes, a NASA tweet said that the rocket's fourth stage "is now lit." "Headed to the moon," another NASA tweet read. Plans call for the spacecraft to orbit the moon for 100 days on a science mission while collecting data on subjects such as the fragile, tenuous lunar atmosphere. . Eventually, according to the plans, the spacecraft , its fuel expended, will plunge to the surface of the moon. via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFFiB8cY-y2hjt97u-eBg_-cxaF3Q&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nasa-rocket-lifts-off-from-wallops-island-va-facility-on-way-to-moon-orbit/2013/09/06/d4bfdb32-1766-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef_story.html

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