2:01:56 PM. 0:2:14 into the flight. The Atlas is out of sight,
moving at well over 5,000 MPH. It will make 3/4 revolution around
the earth, until it's approximately over Australia when Mission
Control will fire the rocket engines again. It will accelerate to
about 36,000 MPH, and cross the orbit of the Moon in 9 hours. Mars
in 3 months. Jupiter in 13 months, where it will do a sling shot
for additional speed to reach Pluto, in 9 years. A journey of over
3.3 billion miles.
I couldn't resisit this shot of the vapor trail. What a day. :-) |
