Wednesday, March 18, 2009

3...2...1...Lift Off!

We finally got to see the shuttle launch on Sunday night, so here are some pics as promised.

Here you can see it just start to ascend over the house across the water from us.

This is a cool shot because the sun was still setting at this point and those final rays caught the shuttle's vapor trail and lit it up like a sunset. I promise you, the vapor trail isn't usually orange like that.If you click on this picture to enlarge it, you can see two points of light near the top end of the vapor trail. Those are the twin fuel boosters that have just fallen away. Very cool.

We've got two more shuttle launches scheduled for May. Hopefully I can get video of one. It's really something to see and hear live - about a minute after the sky first starts to lit up, the rumble reaches you. Really cool. Hope you liked the pictures!

16 comments:

  1. That was one of the prettiest launches. And your photos are great! How'd the kitties like it?

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  2. Awesome pics! Thanks for sharing. I would love to watch a launch one day...

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  3. Hatchlings and I loved the picts!

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  4. Anonymous9:33 AM

    Thanks! I love the pics. How cool to see that from your back yard.

    When we were in Florida, NASA launched a military satellite (unannounced on their website). We JUST happened to be in the yard (it was 9 pm). Incredible sight.

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  5. Those are good pictures. I'd love to be able to see a launch.

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  6. Oh wow - this is so cool! I actually went to Space Camp in Alabama when I was a young dork.

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  7. Great pics, Kristen. Once, many years ago, when the shuttle was landing in Cape Canaveral, we heard it all the way at my sister's house in Orlando. At that time, there was a big cow field behind her house and we thought a cow had gotten loose in her yard and had butted the house! I know, we have a great imagination, huh?

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  8. That is amazing!!!

    The closest I get to this is a few kids setting off fire-cracker rockets down the street. lol

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  9. I got to see it from a Blockbuster parking lot :) Of course I'm not as close as you so we didn't get to hear anything :( Great pics!

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  10. Thanks for sharing those, Kristen! Very cool.

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  11. Amazing pictures. Shuttle launches always choke me up, I'm not sure I could watch one in person.

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  12. Cool photos! Must have been neat to watch.

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