caleystaxi

What challenges for the 2013 International Space Apps Challenge are you excited about? http://spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/

James Wood, NASA LSP Chief Engineer, explains the difference between L-Time and T-Time on launch day in this video, which is used by most fixed pad launches. However, as Tim mentioned for the Pegasus, there is only L-Time.

Orbital-ATK's Pegasus User’s Guide 7.1.3.4. Flight Activities goes through the last 10 minutes of launch. You can also learn more with NASA's Pegasus Countdown 101.

Learn more with Orbital-ATK's Pegasus User’s Guide. It uses solid propellant, so sequencing & attitude control by its guidance system take it to the required orbit with no throttling or engine cutoffs.

The rocket goes autonomous after the drop. However, with a pilot controlling that drop, the Pegasus has a human in the loop more so than most rockets. Most rocket launches are initiated by computers.

What Makes a Launch Director article is focused on the Space Shuttle, but most of it is applicable to the launch of robotic spacecraft too. Here's an interview with Tim's fellow launch director, Omar Baez, on the GOES-R launch.

This xkcd comic about KSP hangs in the LSP trajectory area. There are several people at LSP play it, though I personally have only tried a couple times (I rarely play video games).

There were a couple non-KSC challenges our group found really interesting. *Catch a Meteor (astronomy buffs in particular) http://spaceappschallenge.org/challenge/catch-a-meteor-tracker *Space Station Benefits to Humanity http://spaceappschallenge.org/challenge/space-station-benefits-to-humanity *All the CubeSat challenges! (NASA's Launch Services Program out of KSC selects CubeSats to put on launch vehicles via ELaNa http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/centers/kennedy/technology/elana_feature.html)

The CYGNSS science team's blog has articles relating to its orbit.

Deploying CYGNSS addresses some of your questions.