The generator; that lovely generator that kept us warm and kept the fridge running when winter came to deep south Texas. This will probably bring more crap weather, but today was determined to be "the day"... Joan is working on the door jam to our storage area under the house, and I am getting the generator ready for a long rest. Hopefully, a long rest. Between the two of us, I think I have the better job. Well, I thought so until it was time to get all the fuel out of the generator.
The process is generally straightforward: pump the gas out of the internal tank, run the generator to clear out the fuel lines, drain the carburetor and float bowl, put a little bit of oil in the cylinder, wipe it off... done. The generator has been running with the Eco-mode off for about 45 minutes. I can see down inside the fuel tank, and it is empty. It's still happily running. I got a plastic cup to drain the float bowl and... the cup must have had a pin-hole leak that the gas turned into a steady flow. Joan was standing nearby and gave me one of her rubber gloves to put around the bottom of the cut to help with the leak.
It's still running. Yeah, it's a Honda.
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Apparently, I am chopped liver...
While walking Rufus this morning, our neighbors slowed down, rolled down the window, and said, "Good morning, Rufus." ;-)
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood... 55º when I got up this morning, and up to 63º at noon. Yes, that is still a bit below our average, but the sun is shining and the wind isn't light. If the generator ever runs out of fuel, I'll be heading out for a while on the Vespa.
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It was a bit of a conundrum: I was needing to get out on the scoot, but SpaceX is about to have another launch (that we can see from our deck). The process was started on the launch, but I really needed to go for a ride. I figured I could see the launch from most anywhere I'd be riding (not as close as from our house). Time to ride!
Leaving Long Island Village...
There are people at the fence on the way outside the village, where they have a direct view of the SpaceX facility...
Off our island, through a bit of Port Isabel, and onto the causeway, heading east...
A lovely day, as you can see from the blue sky and wispy clouds. Onto SPI...
I'm seeing more Minnesota license plates these days; people escaping the frozen northland. Rode around on the island a bit. Heading south, I saw some people carrying beach chairs, looking forlorn... my guess: the launch has been postphoned. Back across the causeway, over the Laguna Madre...
One more bridge to go, and I'm back home...
Checking in with Joan when I got back, she told me there was some issue and the launch was on hold - may still get off today. We'll see how that plays out.
Something different today: I put on a helmet cam instead of attaching one to the bike. That's how the images above were taken. It gives me some options, since I can control the view somewhat by how I turn my head.
Now sitting out on the deck, enjoying a snack, and listening to SpaceX Live on Joan's iPad. The launch may be on once again. They are going through another pre-launch sequence...
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SN-10 launched! It climbed to the predetermined altitude. Started its freefall. Engines ignited and it rotated to a reasonably soft landing...
Not on its landing gear, but... upright! You can see water being poured on it, as there was a fire in the lower portion. And then...
And the fire in the aftermath...
SpaceX is already calling this a successful test. We held our breath as it touched down. It leaned just a bit, but remained upright. Then, that explosion and fire you see above.
While the rocket was climbing after liftoff, I was holding onto the railing on our deck - it was vibrating that railing. You could feel the roar in your chest. OK, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, too. It moved up into my throat as it approached touchdown. Quite emotional when it landed "soft" and stayed upright. Then, heart-wrenching when it exploded. I heard one commenter on the NASA feed call that: a rapid burn-off of excess fuel. Call it what you want... I think everyone watching just wanted to see it stay standing. Almost completed that.
This was SN-10 of their Raptor Series; SN-11 is probably a month or so from completion.
Quite a day.
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