WASHINGTON — The NASA Wallops Flight Facility scheduled a rocket launch Sunday night that would have been visible in the D.C. region, but it has been postponed once again. It was canceled due to high winds.
The rocket launch at @NASA_Wallops this evening has been scrubbed because of high winds. Stay tuned for info on the next attempt.
— NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) June 18, 2017
The launch has been postponed eight times before this due to vessels in the impact hazard area and weather. Updates can be obtained online at NASA’s website and NASA Wallops Flight Facility’s Twitter feed. NASA Wallops Flight Facility is also hosting students and educators this week. “Nearly 130 university and community college students and instructors from across the country will build and fly experiments on a NASA suborbital rocket through the RockOn! and RockSat-C programs,” NASA said in a news release. “Another 20 high school educators from across the United States will examine how to apply rocketry basics into their curriculum through the Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers (WRATs).” Two other space-related events are happening in the District this week. At 11 a.m. Tuesday, NASA Headquarters will sponsor a lecture on its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission given by Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator. The lecture will be at the James Webb Auditorium and is open to the public. For further details contact Laurie Cantillo by calling 202-358-1077 or by sending an email to laura.l.cantillo@nasa.gov. On Wednesday, the Newseum is sponsoring briefings about the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. “For the first time in 99 years, a total solar eclipse will cross the entire nation Aug. 21,” NASA said in a news release. “Representatives from NASA, other federal agencies and science organizations will provide important viewing safety, travel and science information during two briefings at the Newseum in Washington starting at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, June 21.” The event is not open to the public but will air live on NASA Television and stream on the agency’s website. The public also can ask questions via social media during the briefings using #eclipse2017. Follow my daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. You can email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com.