Orion EFT-1

UPDATE: 6:53am est

"No Go" on on the original 7:05am est launch time- Reports of a boat being too close. Stand-by.

UPDATE: 7:06am EST
New launch time is 7:17am EST

Update 7:10am EST
Launch on hold - there was a Ground Wind Violation due to a gust of wind exceeding the safety levels.  Standby by for new launch time.


UPDATE: 7:24am EST
All Holds Removed - GO-GO-GO

UPDATE: 7:31am EST
New launch time to be awaited - as based on wind. - Orion is on External power - holding for wind.

UPDATE: 7:45am EST

New Launch time of 7:55am EST

UPDATE: 7:52am EST

Another Hold on Launch.


UPDATE: 8:15am EST

New Launch time of 8:26am EST


UPDATE: 8:23am EST

Aborted - Hold

UPDATE 8:30am EST

NASA is planning on cycling the fuel valves 5 times... they did not properly close during the last launch countdown. Over an hour of launch window time left.

I'm going to lay in my bed and watch under my cover. - Good night :)

UPDATE: 9:30am EST

 Launch postponed until Friday, December 5th, 2014



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If you are into space exploration as much as I am...

I would imagine you are pretty excited over this Orion launch taking place this morning.

The Orion will delivered into orbit by the powerful Delta IV Heavy rockets.

Today is only an unmanned test flight...

But the result and info gained will be instrumental in the upcoming planned manned mission to Mars.

History is made today!

Click the mission patch below to watch a live stream of the launch:

The graphic below is an overview of what NASA hopes to accomplish for this test flight.

Unmanned test flight today... One day manned mission to Mars.

The Curse of Oak Island

There is this show on the History Channel...

You may or may not have heard of it...

"The Curse of Oak Island"

If you haven't heard of the show... and you havent heard of Oak Island...

Then are you in for a treat.

The show is a great introduction to one of the greatest mysteries left on Earth.

Oak Island - An island along the Southern shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, which has been the subject of intense treasure hunting over the course of the last 200 plus years. Oak Island is home of the famed "Money Pit" which was discovered in 1795. In 1803, excavations reached a depth of 90 feet, and a stone was found with strange carvings which are believed to be translated as "Forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried."  Shortly after the discovery, the "Money Pit" flooded with sea water that is believed to be channeled via a tunnel system to keep out would be treasure hunters. 

Over the past 200 years, many people have tossed their hat into the ring trying to uncover, unearth, and solve the mystery. Including John Wayne,  and a young President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But no one to date has ever done so. 

Legends of Oak Island claim Pirate Treasure lies beneath, or perhaps that the Knights Templar left something hidden there. Some say its the lost manuscripts of William Shakespeare, perhaps a viking ship that crashed and was buried, or maybe a Spanish Treasure Fleet Ship. Mystery and speculation are in no short order when it comes to Oak Island.

The show 'The Curse of Oak Island' follows the story of two brothers Ricky and Marty Lagina, who have dedicated their time, money and passion in order to embark on a 'once and for all' quest to discover what lies beneath Oak Island. The Brothers, as well as Oak Island resident and Treasure Hunter Dan Blankenship, were inspired by the January 1965 issue of Reader's Digest magazine, which featured an article on the Restall family's work to solve the mystery of the so-called "Money Pit."

One of my favorite things about the show is that the brothers are going about discovering the secrets of Oak Island in a very real manner... They aren't running around screaming and baiting in viewers with silly gimmicks. The brothers and their partners seem to really want to do this, and do it right, and genuinely get to the bottom of things... No pun intended. This is one of the reasons I never miss an episode.

The show also covers an excellent scope of the Oak Island history and theories, and it's a nice medium to learn about the history of the island. While I do know what I consider to be a fair amount about the Island, I have learned things from the show that I wasn't previously aware of... Which is most excellent, since I'm planning to write a (fiction) novel that may have something to do with Oak Island, so any and all information that I can get is much appreciated. 

So if you have a interest in history, exploration, archeology, mystery and great television, check out this show.

'The Curse of Oak Island' airs on Tuesdays at 9pm EST on the History Channel.

You can also watch full episodes online. Just click the link or the photo below to visit the History Channel page for the show.

 http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island