Centerville, Ohio, residents Samantha and Sharon Morrissey didn't expect to see a rocket explode when they lined up to watch the launch Tuesday night.
According to the Dayton Daily News, the mother and daughter are vacationing on Chincoteague, Virginia, an island adjacent to Wallops Island, where NASA launched the Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft.
Samantha, 26, said they gathered with dozens of others to watch the launch. She said they were “stunned” and “shocked” when the glowing projectile exploded in flames.
“It got up in the air for about 6 seconds, and it came right back down,” Samantha Morrissey said in a phone interview Tuesday night.
The unmanned rocket’s mission: to take supplies up to support the International Space Station.
“It was a disappointment to see it blow up. We were expecting to see it go straight to the space station,” Samantha said.
NASA officials are assessing the damages but are reporting no injuries or casualties.
Samantha said they were on vacation for her mother Sharon, who participated in the Marine Corp. Marathon in Washington, D.C.
She said they’ll be heading back to their Centerville home on Wednesday.
