I watched this live with my daughters. The fact that they wanted to wake up in the middle of the night to watch a rocket launch...priceless.

I watched it with mine, granted, she's only 7 months old so didn't have much say in the matter (it was a reasonable 8:44am here).

Was good to finally be able to put some context to the "Zoom zoom zoom, we're going to the Moon" song that I always sing her :)

Please don't link to space.com. It's an ugly site that messes with the Back button so you can't get out.

Alternative: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18154937

From pusher robot on Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/05/spacex-dragon-takes-f...

  Space-bound and down, loaded up and trucking
  We gonna do what they say can't be done
  We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there
  I'm space-bound, just watch ol' Falcon run!

  Keep your eyes fixed on the guages, son
  and never mind them shakes
  Let it all hang out, 'cause we got a run to make!
  Folks are hungry on the station and our hold is full of rations
  And we'll get 'em up, no matter what it takes!

  Space-bound and down, loaded up and trucking
  We gonna do what they say can't be done
  We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there
  I'm space-bound, just watch ol' Falcon run!

  U.L.A. will try to ground us
  That crusty old cartel
  And they won't stop 'till we bid them farewell
  So you got to build 'em, you got to try 'em
  You got to keep those rockets flyin'
  Just set that throttle wide and give it hell!

  Space-bound and down, loaded up and trucking
  We gonna do what they say can't be done
  We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there
  I'm space-bound, just watch ol' Falcon run!
  I'm space-bound, just watch ol' Falcon run!

Why are these rocket launches always at night? Any particular reason for this?

Rocket launch time is largely determined by the eventual orbit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_window

ISS bound launches have to launch while the ISS is passing overhead so that the orbit of the spacecraft is at the same inclination as ISS. The reason for this is that inclination changes are expensive fuel-wise once you're in orbit.

Previous launch attempt last saturday was in day light.

Anyone know what the cost of this launch was vs the Soyuz/Progress?

$54M, well if they had charged someone for it they would have charged them $54M for the launch according to their price schedule [1].

I don't believe the Soviets publish prices and sadly NASA does not separate the cost of resupply from the crew replacement missions. [2]

[1] http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php

[2] http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/apr/HQ_C07-18_Roscosmos...

AWESOME!!!