Comments on: Watching Boeing’s Starliner launch tonight

By: sippin_bourbon

sippin_bourbon — Fri, 20 May 2022 12:23:42 +0000

Okay. I get it.
T for time line based events.
L for specific launch time.

This implies they have two different clocks running concurrently.

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Fri, 20 May 2022 00:04:51 +0000

I don’t know if it was just a different broadcast protocol, but the media coverage seemed a little less sparkling than what I associate with SpaceX. The video seemed a lot less crisp and the on-air commentators were less engaging.

Of course I have to admit I am completely smitten with the blonde lady engineer who has been with SpaceX coverage since the beginning. What a charming and intelligent woman!

By: Col Beausabre

Col Beausabre — Thu, 19 May 2022 23:50:26 +0000

It occurred to me as I watched this, “You’re watching the last hurrah of an obsolete technology” as nothing was recovered.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 19 May 2022 23:41:24 +0000

Sippin_bourbon, There are two times in use- the T-minus which is the time till liftoff which has built in holds and can stop, and L-minus is the real time of lift-off as is always running. Here is a short video talking about it. It is a good explanation that the T-minus is event driven and L-Minus is the actual time.

By: Robert Zimmerman

Robert Zimmerman — Thu, 19 May 2022 23:33:27 +0000

In reply to sippin_bourbon. sippin_bourbon: L minus is a term ULA uses, but I can't remember what makes it different than T minus, which refers to actual liftoff.

By: Col Beausabre

Col Beausabre — Thu, 19 May 2022 23:30:37 +0000

As of 19:27 Eastern Daylight Time, successfully inserted into orbit. Launch appeared to be nominal except for slight “over performance” by First Stage, which was corrected by Second. On to ISS!

By: sippin_bourbon

sippin_bourbon — Thu, 19 May 2022 22:46:02 +0000

Also, maybe they changed this a while ago, and I never caught it.. I am used to “T minus (time)”. They are using “L minus (time)”

Is this new?

By: sippin_bourbon

sippin_bourbon — Thu, 19 May 2022 22:43:34 +0000

Watching now.
Fingers crossed. Hope they have a successful flight. I think the bar for success is pretty high at this point. If there are issues, I doubt it will be the Atlas 5 is the issue.