This is not short but oh is it some incredible footage. NASA Description of video Photographic documentation of a Space Shuttle launch plays a critical role in the engineering analysis and evaluation process that takes place during each and every mission. Motion and Still images enable Shuttle engineers to visually identify off-nominal events and conditions requiring corrective action to ensure mission safety and success. This imagery also provides highly inspirational and educational insight to those outside the NASA family. This compilation of film and video presents the best of the best ground-based Shuttle motion imagery from STS-114, STS-117, and STS-124 missions. Rendered in the highest definition possible, this production is a tribute to the dozens of men and women of the Shuttle imaging team and the 30yrs of achievement of the Space Shuttle Program. The video was produced by Matt Melis at the Glenn Research Center. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2VygftZSCs]YouTube - Ascent - Commemorating Shuttle[/ame]
Very cool Guess I've missed my chance to see a launch in person, but this is probably the next best thing. Mark
Back when I was a freshman in college at U Miami (Fla) a bunch of us went and saw STS-2 launch. What an incredible party that was.
I believe there are two launches remaining on the schedule (Feb. 3 and Apr. 1 tentatively). I do hope to be able to get to one of them, especially with my daughter who hopes to one day become an astronaut.
Closest I've come to watching the Shuttle launch was standing in the parking lot of our office in Naples, FL, watching the Shuttle rise into the sky after it took off from Cape Canaveral. Amazing thing to see, even from that distance. I was lucky enough to see the Enterprise on the back of its 747 in Houston when I was a kid. I had been drawing pictures of the Shuttle for years, after I first heard of it, and my mom's best friend took me to see it. I was in awe. Being a kid raised in Houston in the '70s and '80s, I couldn't help but be proud of our space program.
In 2002 I got to watch the shuttle do a pre-dawn launch, we were 10 miles from the pad, even at that distance when the shuttle rolls over and heads down range the vibration and noise you feel is incredible, it launched in darkness then as it gained altitude around 50,000 ft it broke into the oncoming sunrise. It was truly one of the most awesome sights I have ever witnessed and one I will never forget.
Must have been an awesome (in the real sense of the word) experience. I am jealous. If they get a Mars mission going I will have to drive to wherever the launch is and witness it.
It truly was, I very seldom use the word " awesome " but in this case there is no other way to describe it, the sight, sound and of course the 5000 people around you cheering as it disappears into space. This was the first launch after 9/11 so emotions were kinda high as well.
That sounds like a road trip down... I saw a launch when I was a kid, I would love to try to make it down to one of the final ones with my kids