Right Forward Solid Rocket Booster Video
I decided to wait until the Space Shuttle safely landed before posting this (so as not to jinx anything!) -- I took a peek at the NASA shuttle web site a few days ago to see what kind of stuff they had up for the current mission.
Amidst the standard launch highlights (and now landing highlights), I came upon an amazing video. It's the Right Forward Solid Rocket Booster Video from launch -- and it's a beautiful unedited 12 and a half minutes from a camera mounted on one of the boosters (looking "down"). [RealMedia link]
At the beginning, nothing much seems to happen, until after about 45 seconds, you notice the water jets start pumping below the shuttle. Soon enough it takes flight and there's some amazing shots of Florida quickly vanishing... but it really gets trippy when the boosters detach and go tumbling -- you see the shuttle flying off and the space/atmosphere horizon, before the booster begins it's fall back to earth.
The fall is stabilized by parachute and the latter part of the video is the approach to the ocean and splash down, with some great tangled parachute lines swirling in the water.
I recommend putting on some languid ambient music -- Fripp/Eno, Zero 7 or Bjork -- and watch this video in its entirety.
Now I need to go see what other gems NASA has on their site. It may come as no surprise I also enjoy watching the live "NASA" channel which I *do* get with my $8/month cable package!
Amidst the standard launch highlights (and now landing highlights), I came upon an amazing video. It's the Right Forward Solid Rocket Booster Video from launch -- and it's a beautiful unedited 12 and a half minutes from a camera mounted on one of the boosters (looking "down"). [RealMedia link]
At the beginning, nothing much seems to happen, until after about 45 seconds, you notice the water jets start pumping below the shuttle. Soon enough it takes flight and there's some amazing shots of Florida quickly vanishing... but it really gets trippy when the boosters detach and go tumbling -- you see the shuttle flying off and the space/atmosphere horizon, before the booster begins it's fall back to earth.
The fall is stabilized by parachute and the latter part of the video is the approach to the ocean and splash down, with some great tangled parachute lines swirling in the water.
I recommend putting on some languid ambient music -- Fripp/Eno, Zero 7 or Bjork -- and watch this video in its entirety.
Now I need to go see what other gems NASA has on their site. It may come as no surprise I also enjoy watching the live "NASA" channel which I *do* get with my $8/month cable package!
3 Comments:
Umm... the booster falls BACK to Earth?
I thought those falling rocket boosters desintegrated during reentry.
How do they know they'll fall in the water?
And why can't you scrub through video in Real Player?
Don't get me started on RealPlayer! At least you can go to a different part of the video (back or forward). But who needs scrubbing when you've got Fripp/Eno and 12 and half minutes to spare?!
Re: disintegration, the main booster -- the big orange one which used to be white (and travels further into space) does burn up on reentry. The two thin solid rocket boosters parachute back down and are fetched to be reused.
Once, when the NASA folks zipped out to retrieve the boosters, they saw some rogue modern-day pirates already there who were trying to steal it!! The pirates fled...
I recommend putting on some languid ambient music
When I first say these, by chance iTunes was playing something by Mozart while I was watching the booster seperate and fall into the ocean. Very appropo.
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