What a spectacle! After being postponed a few times due to inclement weather, and even a last-minute discovery of a crack in the seal of the crew's capsule hatch threatening the launch again, it finally lit up the sky in a glorious fashion! The crowds did indeed gather to view this one, and all roared to excitement as the rocket ignited and lifted off from Kennedy Space Center with Crew 8 on board heading to the International Space Station. The excitement was as thick as the humid Florida air on a stormy summer night. I myself made the 5-hour round trip drive two nights in a row to witness this launch, so I was very happy when it successfull launched.

NASA Dragon Crew-8 on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The capsule will travel to the ISS where it is expected to autonomously dock with the station at around 3:00 am EST early Tuesday morning. There, the Crew will relieve Crew-7, and will stay aboard for 6 months, conducting various science experiments while they orbit the earth some 250 miles above us. Keep an eye out for more photos of this Crew and their paths as they become visible to me during their time in orbit, I will be sure to share every encounter I can capture!

Click on the photo to see a larger image, and to see more rocket images!

Crew 8 on Falcon 9Crew 8 launches to the International Space Station on March 4, 2024 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center where they will spend the next 6 months conducting experiments and collecting data while orbiting Earth at over 17,000 mph!
SpaceX Crew-8 is the eighth crewed operational NASA Commercial Crew flight and the 13th overall crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. NASA astronauts Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Michael Barratt, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin are riding aboard.