Apollo 11 (NASA)

Hey space nerds, get your telescopes out: The U.S. Air Force will launch the Minotaur I Rocket from NASA’s Wallops Island facility in Virginia tomorrow.

According to a press release, the rocket is scheduled to lift off at 7:30 p.m., with the actual launch window lasting until 9:30 p.m., and “will be visible, depending on atmospheric conditions at one’s viewing site, from northern Florida to southern Canada and west to Indiana.” But given the close proximity of the Wallops Island facility to D.C., Washingtonians will get the best view of it. Think of it as watching Alfonso Cuarón,’s Gravity on an IMAX 3D screen compared to watching it at home on a measly DVD player*.

The Minotaur I Rocket, which is part of the ORS-3 mission (otherwise known as an enabler mission), is being launched with the goal to “demonstrate and validate launch and range improvements for NASA and the military.” But what does that mean, exactly? Well, the improvements would help with automated trajectory targeting, range-safety planning, and flight termination systems. The launch will also be a part of the FAA’s certification process for the Minotaur rocket and will deliver the Space Test Program Satellite-3.

On the day of the launch, NASA will be providing live coverage of the launch via UStream, which will start at 6:30 p.m. Perhaps we’ll get a visit from a familiar amphibian friend, whose fate after the LADEE launch is still unknown?

*Note: There is no science to actually back up this metaphor.