Story and Photos by Jim Ritch –
An Antares rocket carrying 8,300 pounds of scientific experiments and cargo, lifted off from Wallops Island Saturday, Feb. 19, at 12:40 p.m., and shook windows and spectators across Accomack County. The rocket successfully docked with the International Space Station early Monday morning.
Among the items shaken were the front deck and guests of Jeff Hickman, whose home at Gargatha Landing enjoys a wide view of surrounding marshes and an unobstructed view of the Wallops Island launch pad.
With the Hickman home located slightly farther away than other viewing locations, the Antares rocket rose higher in the sky before the roar of the rocket shook his deck and the guests on it.
The experiments aboard the rocket will explore skin deterioration in microgravity, growing plants without soil; testing hardier lithium-ion batteries, and other topics.
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- Moments before the launch, spectators at Gargatha Landing carefully study the launch pad.
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- Steve and Mary Ehmann, of Cape Charles, look up from prime seats at the end of the short public pier at Gargatha Landing.
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- Kathy Roe, of Onancock, watches with her husband, Charlie.
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- Jeff Hickman, of Gargatha Landing, second from left, hosted the launch-watch party, which was … a blast. The front deck of his home affords a wide vista across marshes and a clear view of the launch pad. With him, from left, are Vicky Duncan, of East New Market, Md.; Hickman; his daughter Rachel Byerly, of Calvert County, Md.; and her husband, Andrew Byerly.
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- Charles and Maria Castelluzzo, of Temperanceville, enjoy porch seats to join the party.
