SpaceX staffers assigned to the coveted “Comic Con” duty. Unconfirmed reports say they sought out photo opportunities with Iron Man cosplayers in honor of their boss.
by Jeff Cunningham
It’s been an exciting summer in the ‘Verse, including here at TBtS.First off, this week saw a spectacular launch of a Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center. If the previous one was any indication, we’ll hopefully see the onboard footage of the rocket’s powered “landing” before long. As of this writing, the next launch is slated for around half past midnight on the evening of August 3rd.
This past launch has shown how, as Jayne would say “what is planned and what actually happens ain’t exactly similar.” To that end, we suggest using spacexstats.com to get notifications. The site features countdowns, email you notifications of any changes or additions to the launch manifest (the list of upcoming rocket launches), and can even export upcoming launches as an event to your preferred calendar app.
Next, we’ll be making encore appearances at some cons in the northeastern U.S. to collect more letters and petition signatures, and will soon expand to others in the southeast.
Meanwhile, there’s been some interesting developments brewing out at San Diego Comic-Con. First off, after several years and as many false starts, we’re all finally going to get our first look at Firefly Online — at long last, we’ll have our Big Damn Game. QuantumMechanix, creator and purveyor of all manner of shiny loot, have been developing the game in a partnership with FOX for Windows, Macintosh OS, and mobile platforms. On Thursday, they’ll be showing the public the first gameplay footage ever released, plus (we hope) revealing more eagerly-awaited details surrounding the title. Apparently, they’ve even got some kind of scheme setup for distributing freebies to attendees. Firefly Online is planned for release later this year on Steam and mobile app marketplaces worldwide (though we’ll likely get a more specific date at the panel).
Secondly, it’s worth mentioning that SpaceX, interestingly enough, has had a booth presence at each of the past two instances of SDCC. This year, however, will be their first Con since the public unveiling of the Dragon v2 manned spacecraft variant–the very one we’re all campaigning CEO Elon Musk to name after Serenity. Will they bring the “flight model” seen in that debut and in exhibitions in D.C. to give con attendees the unprecedented experience of squeeing inside of a real spaceship? We’ll find out next week.
Dragon v2 on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. last month, where the public were able to step inside and look around the futuristic craft.
So long as you’re there, if you want to suggest to them a name for said ship…who are we to stop you? 😉 (Please be polite, of course) As always, if you happen to be going to any con coming up and want to have a certifiable blast encouraging your fellow geeks and Browncoats to sign the petition and write letters, get in touch with us, and we’ll help you get set up.
One last thing: Sand Diego Comic Con next weekend also happens to coincide with another date of awesome-ness: the 45th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. Do yourself a favor at some point in the coming week and find someone who was alive at the time, and ask them what it was like to watch it live.
Take Back the Sky 