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Discovery launch as viewed from a passenger flight
Geek-Cetera ^ | Feb. 26, 2011 | Matthew Humphries

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. We’re 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 ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: discovery; nasa; shuttle; spaceshuttle
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To: fightinJAG
I got a kick out of the audio too. It was nice to hear people having a good time sharing the moment. Made me feel proud of my country -- and not for the first time, either. Thanks for posting.


"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."

21 posted on 02/26/2011 1:41:07 PM PST by FoxInSocks (B. Hussein Obama: Central Planning Czar)
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To: Bean Counter

Not doubting, but it looks kind of low for the ISS.


22 posted on 02/26/2011 1:41:07 PM PST by Always Independent
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To: Always Independent

It’s not from ISS.
It’s from an aircraft.
That pic has made the rounds for a while and been mislabeled.


23 posted on 02/26/2011 2:09:32 PM PST by Names Ash Housewares ( Refusing to kneel before the "messiah".)
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To: fightinJAG

Thanks for posting..!


24 posted on 02/26/2011 2:14:26 PM PST by Las Vegas Dave ("Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." Ronald Reagan)
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To: fightinJAG

I was hoping the vid would also show SRB sep. That would be tres cool to see from altitude.


25 posted on 02/26/2011 2:14:33 PM PST by NonValueAdded (Palin 2012: don't retreat, just restock [chg'd to comply w/ The Civility in Discourse Act of 2011])
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To: NonValueAdded
I was hoping the vid would also show SRB sep. That would be tres cool to see from altitude.

I've seen pictures (and video, I think) of a shuttle launch shot from NASA's WB-57 Canberras at an altitude of 60,000 or so feet.

These are the best pics of that I can find, tho ... and no video (my google-fu is weak today).








26 posted on 02/26/2011 2:26:51 PM PST by tanknetter
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To: tanknetter
Ok, my google-fu just got strong. Found this WB-57 video of a launch ...
27 posted on 02/26/2011 2:29:20 PM PST by tanknetter
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To: Names Ash Housewares

Thats what I thought. In earlier thread was mentioned NASA MB-57. I was thinking maybe a U-2.


28 posted on 02/26/2011 3:08:45 PM PST by Always Independent
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To: Always Independent

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.


29 posted on 02/26/2011 3:11:04 PM PST by Bean Counter (Stout Hearts)
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To: NonValueAdded
"I was hoping the vid would also show SRB sep. That would be tres cool to see from altitude."

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.

30 posted on 02/26/2011 3:14:28 PM PST by Wonder Warthog
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To: FoxInSocks

Thanks for the transcript!


31 posted on 02/26/2011 3:35:15 PM PST by fightinJAG (TAXPAYERS OF THE WORLD UNITE)
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To: fightinJAG

This is the seat I would like to be in when it launched...

32 posted on 02/26/2011 4:24:20 PM PST by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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To: tanknetter

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....


33 posted on 02/26/2011 4:30:27 PM PST by Bean Counter (Stout Hearts)
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To: Abathar

Wowzer.


34 posted on 02/26/2011 6:18:55 PM PST by fightinJAG (TAXPAYERS OF THE WORLD UNITE)
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To: Wonder Warthog

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.


35 posted on 02/26/2011 8:35:30 PM PST by NonValueAdded (Palin 2012: don't retreat, just restock [chg'd to comply w/ The Civility in Discourse Act of 2011])
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To: Bean Counter
What I find interesting is that this demonstrates how the shuttle launches almost straight up while on the SRBs, and once they come off when the shuttle is above the thickest part of the atmosphere, the trajectory flattens out and the real acceleration begins...

Not only that, but the Shuttle dives back down toward Earth in order to pick up speed during part of its flight to orbit.

36 posted on 02/26/2011 8:52:56 PM PST by Moonman62 (Half of all Americans are above average. Politicians come from the other half.)
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To: fightinJAG
Yeeehaaa! I'm gonna build me a rocket, and I'm gonna name it GO-BABY-GO!

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

37 posted on 02/27/2011 3:55:15 AM PST by no-s (B.L.O.A.T. and every day...because some day soon they won't be making any more...for you.)
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To: aflaak

Ping


38 posted on 02/27/2011 10:33:28 AM PST by r-q-tek86 ("It doesn't matter how smart you are if you don't stop and think" - Dr. Sowell)
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