Anybody else watching...
 

...our tax dollars at work?

Live coverage: Atlas 5 counting down to liftoff from California | Spaceflight Now

That was cool, but the two guys at the end reminded me of a cheap sci-fi movie.

I got to see the launch from the 101 just as I crested the Calabasas hill. Traffic slowed from about 75 down to about 60. Looked like a meteor but going the wrong way (up) then I remembered the launch. Pretty good flame coming from the solid rockets.

What are the particulars? I remember reading that the booster technology is next gen. What sort of payload and speed are we talk'n bout here?