Posted on 02/26/2011 12:41:30 PM PST by fightinJAG
follow the shuttle as it disappears into the outer atmosphere. This can create some truly stunning footage, especially as the rockets fire and the initial launch happens.
On Thursday Discovery got its last ascent into space, but this time instead of just seeing it from the ground, one lucky passenger flight also saw it from the air.
The flight was from Orlando, Florida, and it happened to be passing by the Kennedy Space Center just as the launch happened. Were also lucky that one of the passengers had the sense to pull his camera out and start recording.
The footage gives you a true sense of just how fast the shuttle is travelling and the trajectory it takes. This is definitely one video for my YouTube favorites list.
(Excerpt) Read more at geek.com ...
"Folks, the space shuttle is going off the right side of the aircraft right now. Those of you on the right side of the aircraft, you can see the space shuttle. Those of you on the left side of the aircraft can probably see people on the right side of the aircraft looking at the space shuttle."
LOL
"The plane is going to tip over. Everybody's leaning on the right side."
"Can you still see okay?"
"Yep. Thank you."
"Now, listen, we don't want to have anybody complain because we were late. You all got to see that, so we can't have any of you complain because we were late, got it? All right. Drinks are on the house, too."
Not doubting, but it looks kind of low for the ISS.
It’s not from ISS.
It’s from an aircraft.
That pic has made the rounds for a while and been mislabeled.
Thanks for posting..!
I was hoping the vid would also show SRB sep. That would be tres cool to see from altitude.
Thats what I thought. In earlier thread was mentioned NASA MB-57. I was thinking maybe a U-2.
Those were widely distributed around the Web at the time, and I don’t doubt their authenticity. Look how dark the sky is in the top of the frame.
Not my pics, but I saved them at the time because they were impressive as hell, and if memory serves, I found them here at FR.
It does. Watch toward the end of the loop where the glow at the leading end of the contrail turns from orange to blue. That is the point of SRB burnout/separation. If you look REALLY closely, you can just make out one of the SRB's falling away (it's actually brighter in the video than the shuttle itself). The key is to watch the separation of that bright dot from the contrail.
Thanks for the transcript!
This is the seat I would like to be in when it launched...
yah....after I did some checking I found it too. I’ve labored under a delusion for a few years on this, but it’s still a cool set of pictures....
I would be interested in seeing a launch from that cupola though....that would make one hell of an Imax movie....
Wowzer.
Thanks but I was thinking more of the fall of the SRBs. Here in Central Florida we can see them tumble down and occasionally see the still burning booster as it turns business-end towards us. It was the God’s Eye view from the plane I was hoping for. Still, a very lucky flight to witness the launch. We on the ground could see very little due to the clouds. Maybe 2 seconds worth of contrail through a single gap in the cloud deck.
Not only that, but the Shuttle dives back down toward Earth in order to pick up speed during part of its flight to orbit.
When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci
Ping
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