Shuttle launch

-=AlexXx=- · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 12:50 pm Post subject: Shuttle launch

So i was flying back home to Ft. Lauderdale from Maryland last night, and as we were passing by Cape Canaveral Florida, where Kennedy Space Center is located, our pilot informed us in 5 mins a shuttle would be launching on the left side of the plane, luckly i was sitting on the far left in the window seat, southwest is the best... lol. But ya, i look down and sure enough, i see a shinny little glimmer right near the coast all of a sudden it lifts off! and its shooting toward us getting bigger and bigger and curves out to the coast. It started off a bright orange flair and became a nearly white light going way above our plane... which was nuts to think about because we were so high up to begin with! it got so high that i couldnt even look out the window and see it any more a minunte or so after it seperated from the launch rocket, or w/e. It was a truley beatuiful thing, im sure i will only have had that one oppurtinutiy to see it. Everyone on the right side of the plan hopped over and was trying to see out of every left hand side passangers window. It was crazyness. Very cool, im so happy to go to see it, it was astonishing how high it got so fast..... and the colors.... The sun was just dropping, if you looked out the right side windows you could still see it. Sadly, i dont own a camera... but i saw alot of other people trying real hard to get pics..... it made me really want to buy a camera. So im going to start searching. But any way. Hope some of you are able to see this once in your life. Mad cool.
http://suomenkuvalehti.fi/kuvat/2009/03/15/space-shuttle

taku · Kickflip Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 2868 City: Central FL

It was pretty amazing. Living in Orlando, I get to see the shuttle everytime (assuming I'm outside) and I have to say yesterday's launch was one of my favorites. It launched minutes after sunset when there was still light in the sky. Because the sun had just set when it was launched, the higher up the shuttle went, the more red the trailing smoke was... until it got really high up and was in direct sunlight, then the smoke looked like a glowing white cloud. Sorry there isn't a pic of the white cloud, but here's the right before the white cloud part:
What we saw in Orlando:

and here is right after the boosters separated and started to fall back to earth (into the ocean to be picked up by boats, for the non-locals who might not know):

skimboarder · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 3:43 pm Post subject:

what awesome timing alex i bet that was epic. Smash

taku · Kickflip Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 2868 City: Central FL

These 2 are old, but still bad@ss shots from the ISS watching a shuttle launch from 2 years ago:

LFdisciple · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 4:51 pm Post subject:

the last 2 shots from the international space station are epic! Crazy Eyes

id love to see a launch one day

skimboarder · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 4:57 pm Post subject:

those last two shots are sweet!

that's another thing i miss about living in florida Sad

GnarShredd · Backside 180 Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Posts: 1529 City: Seattle

i've seen most of the shuttle launches from as long as I can remember and every time it blows my mind

-=AlexXx=- · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 9:32 pm Post subject:

It was epic, from up in the sky. Those shots are all sick, the cloud trail after the launch was so crazy looking.

ollieshuvitz · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 3:39 am Post subject:

taku, that last shot is crazy

taku · Kickflip Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 2868 City: Central FL

http://www.bluewaterweather.com/sts119/sts119.html

That video was taken from a home in Tampa, FL... you can even see when the rocket boosters separate. Pretty sure people up the east coast pretty far should have also had a clear view.

Also, my sister told me about a kayak shuttle tour that is $30 and they take you out through mosquito lagoon (mini scenic tour) and then into the ocean to watch the launch really close with about 15-20 other kayakers. Too bad it books full super early. Gotta do that before the Shuttle program ends next year.

key · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 6:57 am Post subject:

i agree with eveyone on the ISS pics. really cool to see from that angle. never seen a launch but some floridians i know so it is something to see fo-sho............ Smash

Grasso · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 8:41 am Post subject:

roof of the projects.. i think tropical plumbing and me taking it on my iphone makes the pic so much more professional