Posted on 12/12/2014 6:21:58 PM PST by Jack Hydrazine
Way back when I saw the shuttle Columbia launch at night from Florida as I stood on a dark back road in rural Iowa. Unforgettable.
I was using the article link, but it cut out a lot. I tried yours for the postlaunch blah-blah, and it works much better. I didn’t deserve even to catch this, but I happened to click in right after the hour at about T-15min ...
OK, there’s the replay - nice and smooth this time!
By the launch animation, it appeared to track SSE, judging by the coastline on the left. Is something like this pretty standard for this launch site? It seems to make sense.
SSE would put it in orbit over the poles and.....Russia/China.
It’s launch azimuth was 154 degrees to the SSE. It leaves the AFB and heads out right over the water and hugs the Baja Peninsula without endangering anyone there.
Polar and near polar orbits are standard for that launch site.
Anyone see it i was on the roof in the c it was clear could not see it. I am an old man having seen these go off since the 60’s love them
They had animations after that occurred.
The captain spotted its launch immediately (perhaps he had advance notice) and drew our attention to it--said it was only the second he'd seen. He announced its progress for us: 10,000 feet, 100,000 feet, etc.
Being twilight, the rocket flame lit up the sky like a million Roman candles. To this day, it's one of the half-dozen most amazing and memorable sights I've ever seen.
After a rainy day it was almost crystal clear with a few scattered high clouds. We saw the bright orange glow on the horizon, then SRB jettison, the expanding plume of the RD-180, and even the 1/2 separation event all from the deck.
That’s great!
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