NASA Rocket Launch May Be Visible Over Pennsylvania Monday Night

By Greg Hambrick and Kara Seymour:

A rocket launch should be visible across the East Coast, including in Pennsylvania, on Monday evening, according to NASA officials preparing final preparations for the launch at the Wallops Flight Facility in coastal Virginia.

Launch time is set for 7:40 p.m. You can watch it live at NASA TV.

The Antares rocket will be launching a Cygnus spacecraft with cargo bound for the International Space Station. This is commercial rocket provider Orbital ATK's sixth mission to the station, according to a NASA statement.

Those on the East Coast with clear skies should be able to see the launch by stepping outside and looking up. The current local forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies on Monday night.

Here is the visibility map:

The exact time of the launch will be dependent on final tests and weather conditions at the time of the launch.

The launch was scheduled for Thursday but delayed a day due to contingency plans for Hurricane Matthew, then delayed again until Sunday due to Hurricane Nicole impacting support operations in Bermuda, according to a NASA statement. It then was delayed Sunday due to a ground support equipment (GSE) cable that did not perform as expected during the pre-launch check out.

Cygnus' load includes 5,100 pounds of cargo for the space station crew. That includes dozens of experiments, according to NASA, including studies on fire in space, the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms and collection of health-related data.

The cargo's arrival at the space station will also be streamed on NASA TV. The rendezvous with the International Space Station should be in the middle of the week.

This will be the first Antares rocket mission from Wallops Island since a rocket exploded on the launch pad in October 2014. With the explosion linked to engine trouble, Thursday's rocket has been fitted with new RD-181 engines. The new engines were tested at the facility in May.

• See: NASA Images Show Rocket Explosion on Launch Pad

Stocking the Space Lab

Here's NASA's rundown of some of the research experiments heading for the International Space Station in Thursday's launch:

Saffire-II, the second Saffire experiment conducted on a Cygnus spacecraft, provides a new way to study a realistic fire on an exploration vehicle. The investigation quantifies the flammability of several materials in microgravity, and compares them to flammability limits in normal Earth gravity. Nine experimental samples of varying materials burn inside an empty Cygnus resupply vehicle after it leaves the International Space Station and before it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.

Cool Flames investigates the phenomenon of when some types of fuels initially burn very hot, then appear to go out — but then continue burning at a much lower temperature, with no visible flames (cool flames). Understanding cool flame combustion helps scientists develop new engines and fuels that are more efficient and less harmful to the environment. The Cool Flames Investigation provides new insight into this phenomenon, as well as new data on fire safety in space.

The Lighting Effects investigation tests a new lighting system aboard the station designed to enhance crew health and keep their body clocks in proper sync with a more regular working and resting schedule. The system uses adjustable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a Dynamic Lighting Schedule (DLS) that varies intensity and spectrum of the LEDs in tune with sleep and wake schedules. Research has shown that enhancing certain types of light can improve alertness and performance while other types can promote better sleep.

A user-friendly tablet app provides astronauts with a new and faster way to collect a wide variety of personal data. The EveryWear investigation tests use of this French-designed technology to record and transmit data on nutrition, sleep, exercise and medications. EveryWear has potential for use in science experiments, biomedical support and technology demonstrations.

Outside the Earth’s magnetic field, astronauts are exposed to space radiation that can reduce immune response, increase cancer risk, and interfere with electronics. The Fast Neutron Spectrometer investigation will help scientists understand high-energy neutrons, part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight, by studying a new technique to measure electrically neutral neutron particles.

Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls