Classic British Flight Sim

Artemis Launch scheduled for 1824 EST.
I have all my photography gear cleaned up and packed neatly in my bag and batteries charged, but It looks like cloud cover will block my view
And there is a glitch in the launch termination program.
Hopefully they'll fix that and the clouds will dissipate
In the meantime.. 2 photos of the Artemis 1 launch for your viewing pleasure.
From 2022 the first and only unmanned test launch

This photo was taken from Palm Beach. Approximately 133 miles from the launch pad. In the lower right corner is the top of a yachts' mast.
Any guesses how long the flame is?

Hi Joe. At a quick guess I’d say the flames is about 8mm long
Seriously, thanks for posting the pics. Being present at or near a launch must be really spectacular. EricT

Good shots, Joe.
Mixed feelings on this. Won't be long before there's a military base, then the pillage of resources. Remember what happened to the Moon in "The Time Machine" ?
Nothing is sacred when humans get involved; look what we've done and are doing to our beautiful Earth.

Tomliner wrote: ↑

02 Apr 2026, 06:38

Hi Joe. At a quick guess I’d say the flames is about 8mm long
EricT

Correct
Very sneaky of you to give your answer in scale form
With a 1mm to 112ft scale factor the flame is approximately 900 ft. Or about 3x the height of the rocket.
Mike , give that man a diamond spotter award.
.
In regards to the waste of materials and energy. I don't see the benefits in the long run for the materials found on the moon or even Mars ( which is projected to take 8 months to get there with zero chance of returning using current technology) helping mankind
However.. there are some governments that are pursuing to control outer space for nefarious reasons, which would be no benefit to mankind's well being.
I'm sure others have their own options

Tomliner wrote: ↑

02 Apr 2026, 06:38

Hi Joe. At a quick guess I’d say the flames is about 8mm long
Seriously, thanks for posting the pics. Being present at or near a launch must be really spectacular. EricT

Hi Eric, maybe Mike is having a vacation or something.
I'll give you your award.

Thank you very much Joe .I’ll wear it proudly. EricT