Jason Davis • Dec 04, 2014
In Pictures: Orion's Scrub, from the Vehicle Assembly Building
Orion’s Thursday morning launch attempt was scrubbed by high winds and faulty liquid hydrogen valves. Crowds of onlookers at the Kennedy Space Center and surrounding areas were treated to a pastel, Mars-tinted sunrise that eventually gave way to mostly clear skies. NASA and United Launch Alliance are gearing up for another retry attempt Friday, with a potential alternate date on Saturday.
Here are some scenes from launch day, shot from the unique perspective of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The iconic VAB stands 526 feet tall and was the home of the Saturn V moon rockets and the space shuttles. Orion’s eventual ride to orbit, the Space Launch System, will be stacked together here as well.
![Mars-tinted sky](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1589_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_orion-scrub-expanse.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x794_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_orion-scrub-expanse.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x508_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_orion-scrub-expanse.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x381_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_orion-scrub-expanse.jpg 576w)
![Watching from the Mobile Launcher](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x674_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_mobile-launch-tower-workers.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x431_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_mobile-launch-tower-workers.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x323_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_mobile-launch-tower-workers.jpg 576w)
![VAB silhouettes](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1589_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_photographers-orion-edit.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x794_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_photographers-orion-edit.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x508_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_photographers-orion-edit.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x381_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_photographers-orion-edit.jpg 576w)
![The press site, from above](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1457_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_new-clock-overhead.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x728_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_new-clock-overhead.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x466_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_new-clock-overhead.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x349_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_new-clock-overhead.jpg 576w)
![Safety engineer selfie](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1589_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_vab-safety-engineers.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x794_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_vab-safety-engineers.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x508_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_vab-safety-engineers.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x381_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_vab-safety-engineers.jpg 576w)
![Listening to the countdown net](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1589_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_photographers-scrub-listen.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x794_crop_center-center_82_line/20141204_photographers-scrub-listen.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x508_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_photographers-scrub-listen.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x381_crop_center-center_60_line/20141204_photographers-scrub-listen.jpg 576w)
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