[Rockitz]

I saw STS-88 go up in a spectacular night launch back in 1999. This weekend I get to see the Delta IV Heavy take DSP-23 up in another night launch. ;o))))

[NCC-1701]

Turning green with envy as this is typed. }:-)><

[RightWhale]

spaceflightnow.com
It all begins with 1.9 million pounds of thrust powering the Delta 4-Heavy rocket ever so slowly off the ground, taking more than 15 seconds for the vehicle to clear the launch pad tower on three pillars of flame from the hydrogen-fueled engines.

“It’s a spectacular ascent...It has a thrust-to-weight ratio of about 1.2-to-1 coming off the pad. So you get a lot time to watch it as it rises up above the umbilical tower,” Planeaux said.

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Should be interesting. Aren’t the motors hydrogen burning? Might be near invisible.