I’ve been following the current STS-114 space shuttle mission on NASA TV. This mission, being the first since Columbia disintegrated upon reentry, is one of the most photographed in the history of the shuttle program.
Tuesday’s launch showed some stunning video taken from a camera onboard the shuttle. While it was impressive, what I saw today was truly breathtaking. Today NASA rolled video taken from cameras on the solid rocket boosters during launch. In the span of ten minutes, these rockets go from rest to 18,000 MPH and back again.
The ride up isn’t interesting to watch, as all you can see is the side of the external fuel tank. Then the boosters exhaust themselves, the explosive bolts fire, and the silent rockets float away from the shuttle and tank. From then on, the boosters take an eerie ride back into the clutches of gravity.
I’ll resample this video and post it this weekend. It is awesome to watch.
Update: Download the video here.