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26 April 2005

The Rocket on the Rock - Get your hats here!

While everyone is hopelessly Earth-bound, I will be looking to the skies again later this week as the last Titan 4B launch vehicle slips gracefully from its base at Canaveral and streaks into the heavens.

The date you may ask?

As far as I know right now it is this weekend. It may be as early as Friday 29 Apr 05; it may be as late as Sunday 01 May 05. If the pattern holds the launch time is likely sometime between 2230 hrs Eastern Daylight Savings Time and midnight. That translates out to between 0000 hrs and 0130 hr Newfoundland Daylight Savings Time.

My money is on Friday.

Howard Pike from the offshore regulatory board is supposed to be heading out as a gesture of reassurance that all is well. Howard can feel free to send me an e-mail about the experience and I promise to post it in its entirety.

Army Navy Surplus should have a sale on used helmets so that anyone feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing can have some small comfort.

I'd suggest the Kevlar models which can run upwards of CDN$100. While they are good at protecting skulls from most flying objects, they can't be used as bowls or wash basins as the old steel pots could.

If this was anywhere else on the planet, some enterprising young person would be selling hats of some kind with a logo on it depicting the rocket, the province and somebody holding a Jockey Club enjoying the show.