Four Seasons Before Lunch Gauteng (Pretoria)

 I have lived in Pretoria for half my life, but even at almost 50, l still am not ready for mornings like this . I step out of  home in the morning at 7 a.m., greeted by a warm, gentle breeze and sunshine so golden it felt like summer had arrived overnight. The sky was clear; the jacaranda trees glowed purple; the air smelled of warmth and possibility. “Perfect day,” l muttered, locking his door. By the time l drive out—five minutes later—the sky starts to be darkened. A cold wind came crawling in from nowhere, sweeping dust across the pavement. The temperature dropped so suddenly that  l have  to switch the heater for warmth. Laughing. “Ah, Pretoria… you never disappoint.” Halfway to the office, the heavens opened. Not soft rain— a storm . Sheets of water hammered the road, street gutters overflowed instantly, and distant thunder rolled like a grumpy giant waking up too early. People scattered, hiding under bus shelters already too full.  “Ten minutes ago...

SPACEX ROCKET FOR FIRST ALL-TOURIST SPACEFLIGHT ROLLS TO LAUNCHPAD

 

SPACEX

Roll Out

The SpaceX rocket destined to launch the first all-tourist crew into orbit made its way to the launchpad facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center over the weekend, as spotted by keen-eyed space enthusiasts on Reddit.

If all goes well, the launch will mark a milestone for private spaceflight, allowing those who can afford it to spend considerable time in Earth’s orbit — and not just several minutes cruising through the upper atmosphere, like SpaceX competitors Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have done.

 

Lift Off

On September 14, the Falcon 9 rocket will carry the crew of four — none of which are professionally trained astronauts — into space as part of the Inspiration4 mission, funded by mission commander (and, crucially, billionaire) Jared Isaacman.

The Crew Dragon capsule that the crew will call home for roughly three days while circling the Earth has already been to space once before. The spacecraft, dubbed Resilience, was used to carry the first operational (rather than test flight) crew to the International Space Station on board a Crew Dragon in November 2020.

The Falcon 9 rocket booster, which made its way to to the launch facilities, has also been flown twice already.

But instead of a docking module built into the nosecone of the Crew Dragon, the spacecraft will be outfitted with a massive glass dome that will give its occupants an incredible view of the Earth below.

It’s a momentous occasion for the space company. If successful, SpaceX could prove once and for all that spaceflight is indeed possible — even without decades of training.

READ MORE: SpaceX rolls Inspiration4 Falcon 9 rocket to the pad for historic launch [Teslarati]

More on the mission: SpaceX Shows Off Beautiful Dome for Next Month’s Space Mission


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