Mixed Result For Today's SpaceX Launch

Via Reuters:

An unmanned Space Exploration Technologies mission blasted off on Saturday carrying cargo for the International Space Station, but efforts to reland the rocket on a sea platform failed, the firm said. The Dragon cargo capsule itself was successfully launched into space and is expected to dock with the space station on Monday. Seeking to cut the cost of space launches, SpaceX hoped to bring the rocket back to Earth, aiming to land it on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean some 200 miles (322 km) off Jacksonville, Fla., north of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch site. A ship stationed near the platform tried to capture the touchdown on video, but it was too dark and foggy, Musk said. Engineers will look to work out what went wrong by studying data relayed during the descent, as well as pieces of the rocket itself, he added. "Ship itself is fine. Some of the support equipment on the deck will need to be replaced," said Musk, who prior to the launch had put the odds of a successful touchdown on the first attempt at just 50 percent.

NASA Rocket Expodes On Launch

The unmanned rocket carried supplies for the ISS. The evening launch from Virginia was to have been visible to millions on the East Coast and many media outlets hyped the viewing today to their readers.

Live From The International Space Station

The International Space Station has launched a live stream.

One of the latest missions from the ISS is kind of amazing. The High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment consists of four cameras that have been attached outside of the ISS. Though temperature is controlled, the cameras are exposed to the radiation from the sun, which will allow astronauts to understand how radiation affects the instruments. The cameras point down at Earth at all times, which makes for some breathtaking images. The feed will sometimes go down as the signal switches between the cameras, and it is hard to see when the ISS is on the dark side of the planet. If the cameras are down, the screen will be grey.

The cameras switch every 60 seconds or so. Stick around for a better view if the current one is all clouds.