Great to watch it in Hi Def on that big screen hey Ron
That is one cool vid Erick. Talk about an explosion. Hollywood has got nothin on that!!
Wes I didn't watch it on the big screen
Next time you come up you will have to show me how to set it up
But it was still brilliant launch all the same on my 16"monitor
Cheers
Interesting, that is above land. But I understand that it falls somewhere around Tahiti? I would have expected water.
Hi Eric,
What I saw was over water and had a lot of broken cloud. The bottom of the tank was scorched as was one side of the ribs. It was also tumbling and spinning.
What you're looking for is available in a YouTube video titled Shuttle Launch from Orbiter (from memory). It is an (I think) 11 minute long video taken from the cockpit, 3 minutes prior to launch, until MECO. After MECO, they show the external tank floating underneath the craft, for a few moments. You don't see it burn up and fall into the atmosphere, though.
H
Humayun,
Thank you for the YouTube link. I don't have time to watch it now, but will look at it later today. A search on Shuttle Launch from Orbiter came up with quite a few videos that look interesting.
I'm so disappointed with the very poor TV media coverage of these final Shuttle flights.
Note STS-135 has funding for a late June launch and there is rumor of a possible STS-136.
Either way the current STS flight is an historic event in manned space flight.
Who knows when another orbital reusable manned space vehicle will be built.
IMHO it may not be USA!
I feel very fortunate to have been born in 1946 just two years after space flight began. When V2s performed "regular unmanned space flights between Europe and London"!
Then in primary school I eagerly read all the futuristic plans to fly men to the moon, watched the first Sputnik orbiting above our house - twice! Then all the excitement of the Space Race to the Moon.
In 1995, we visited JFK Space Centre with Shuttle Discovery STS-51 on Pad 39B and watched the launch of a satelite. Visited the Space Museum and touched the preserved Saturn V Moon Rocket!
Note Discovery launched the Hubble Space telescope in 1990.
Amazingly our oldest son Andrew was born at 1501UTC 14-12-1972 whilst Eugene Andrew Cernan was walking on the Moon. Eugene became the last person the step off the Moon 9hrs 20mins later!
Our Andrew turns 40 next year, he is well aware that he was born during a time when "Men from Earth were walking on another celestial body"!
I wonder when and if Andrew or his daughter Isabella (2 1/2) will experience a similar event.
Hope you all plug into NASA TV and share the excitement of true Manned Space Flight while you can.
one Cool Video
