SpaceX Rocket launch aborted in final second due to technical problems

I've been anticipating this launch for a while now. I stayed up till 4:55 to watch it; I even made popcorn.<p>Listening to the countdown 10...3 2 1 ignition...sputtering flame...and...<i>nothing</i>...<p>You could hear the disappointment in his voice for a split second, but only a second. Then right back to professional composure. Calling out commands, putting the rocket back into safe mode.<p>Impressive even for a failure. Guess I'll be up late again on the 22nd.

Read from an article on CNN (<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/19/tech/us-spacex/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/19/tech/us-spacex/index.html</a>):<p>"This is not a failure," Shotwell (SpaceEx President) told reporters. "We aborted with purpose. It would have been a failure if we lifted off with an engine trending in this direction."<p>Perhaps that's PR spin, but I think that it comes from a very responsible position. Well said.

I'm kind of blown away that the engines don't have to be torn-down and rebuilt or something after being ignited and shut down like this.<p>I assumed that since the booster stages are not re-usable, the design would be more optimized for "one use". And the controlled explosion of a rocket igniting seems to count as "one use".<p>Clearly I'm wrong. I guess they are so robust (for saftey &#38; redundancy reasons) that a few seconds of burn don't do any irreversible damage.

I'm fascinated. I didn't even know that rocket engines could simply be shut down like this. I guess that's because they don't use solid fuel engines?

So what happens next?

I can't imagine being in the rocket and what's going through your head as your about to take off, the rush of it all, and then at the last second it's like nope. That feeling must have been incredibly interesting.

Now everyone has time to use www.hipmunk.com to book flights to Florida for possibly weeks long stays at your favorite Eastern Orlando resort.