October 23, 2002
The same forces that sculpt nebulae and spin galaxies into existence were at work the day you were born.
Liftoff With the Space Shuttle
Birthday · October 23, 2002
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APOD published October 23, 2002. Credit: Dan Maas (Maas Digital), Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation, Lockheed Martin, NASA. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
What would it look like to see a Space Shuttle liftoff from just above the shuttle? Because the answer has value in assessing spacecraft performance, NASA attached a small RocketCam to the side of the External Tank on the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis earlier this month. The above five-frame movie, excerpted from a longer video sequence, shows in dramatic fashion what it looks like to ride into space while looking back at the Earth. In the final frame, taken about 15 minutes after liftoff, the shuttle can be seen separating from the External Tank and proceeding to orbit.
Image credit: Dan Maas (Maas Digital), Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation, Lockheed Martin, NASA