Launched from Wallops Island, VA it was clear enough to see it as soon as it cleared the horizon. It was traveling Northeast and I had clear views of stage separations, etc.
From SpaceFlight.COM: "A U.S. Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket will launch the Operationally Responsive Space 3, or ORS 3, mission. ORS 3 will test space-based rocket tracking technology and an autonomous flight termination system. The rocket will also launch the STPSat 3 satellite, a host platform for several U.S. military experiments, and 28 CubeSats."
As I was waiting a gentleman in a pickup truck showed up five minutes before blastoff to join me as the only two vehicles in a huge empty parking lot. I asked how he could be so lucky to just show up on time. He showed me his I-phone app, plus he had been tweeted that the launch had been delayed 1 hour. With that delay he moved around from his bank parking lot to find this spot. We agreed to meet there for the next launch.
Paul in PA
I loved to watch the night launches from the Cape when I lived in Florida. Some of them were just gorgeous with the huge exhaust plume. I never understood why everyone didn't run outside to watch.
Caught a couple night time launches of the shuttle from florida. Everyone should see a launch at least once.
The Minotaur Is Minor League Compared To The Space Shuttle
But it is still amazing to be directly watching something that is happening 200 miles away.
About thirty years ago my school teacher brother-in-law was working on his Earth Science masters degree and had a summer study program at Wallop's Island. His family stayed in a camper at Chincoteague and we visited for a week. We got on base for a day and had the most pleasant walk on a long lonely clean beach.
Paul in PA
What is cool about this flight is that it has one of our local engineering college, University of LA at Lafayette, sat's on board:
http://www.katc.com/news/ul-engineering-students-successfully-launch-second-satellite-into-orbit/
This is their second successful launch too.
