Going to see Shuttle Launch tomorrow

[LegendKiller]

Anybody have any tips for pictures or the best place to watch?

[ShawnLee]

No tips, but a request, share your pics? I'd like to see some pics other than from the usual TV feed.

[navyones]

Legend, I was lucky enough to see the shuttle launch in Florida many years ago. It is amazing to watch that much power. Please share your pics. I would love to see them.

[LegendKiller]

I'll certainly be snapping away on my digicam and probably get a regular film camera. Wish I had access to a nice camera. 3.1mp fuji will have to do.

[gugnheim]

I've shot it a few times...just be ready and make your first few count. That thing goes up like a bottle rocket...fast. Not like the old Saturns, etc which seemed to drift as was told to me by a photographer/astronomer friend who shot a lot of the sixties launches..

I'll see if I can dig up some old photo references, but if I recall, Nasa's web page for visitors to launches has a bunch of great tips, or used to anyway.

Gug

From Space Launch Viewing FAQ Page:

How can I photograph the launch?
First, load your camera with a good film. ASA 100 is fine. If you are going to shoot a sequence of photos showing the shuttle as it clears the launch pad, set your camera shutter speed to 1/500 of a second, and set your arpature to f/8. If your cameras has a motor drive, use it. Always put your camera on a tripod if you can. If not, you could probably get away with hand holding it. Always make sure you have fresh, new batteries in your camera.

What about photographing a night launch?
Night launches can be really spectacular, provided they are shot correctly. For the most spectacular shot (a time exposure shot), you should have a 35mm SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera, a tripod, cable release, and the right film.

The "day photography" rules still apply for single shots, since a shuttle launch will give off a lot of light, and look very much like sunrise over the Kennedy Space Center. The 100 ASA film will still work just fine. Set your camera shutter speed to 1/250 of a second, and set your arpature to f/8. Don't forget the motor wind if you have one.

You must have a tripod to do a time exposure shot. You need to set up a separate camera for this shot, but the effect will be worth it. This will show the flight path the shuttle takes as it climbs into orbit. A lens 35mm in size or smaller works best for this. Frame the launch pad in the lower right hand side of your view finder if you're in Titusville or along the Indian River, the lower left if you're in Cocoa Beach or at Jetty Park. If launching for a "high inclination orbit", then all photo sites should frame the pad in the lower left. Set your shutter dial to B, and close your cameras arpature to f/16.

Attach a cable release and get ready. Seconds before the launch, open the shutter by squeezing the cable release and lock it. Keep the shutter open throughout the launch. Four to five minutes later, release the cable release. This closes the shutter. Advance the film. The one drawback is that you only get one picture using this method. However, if done properly, it makes for a really great photo.

[LegendKiller]

Yeah, wish I had a good camera. I don't know anybody who does, cept my dad and sister who are 2000+ mi away.

[brainsmile]

take some ear plugs just in case

[zippyjuan]

Fly me down and I'll take pictures for you! I'd like to see that!

[ufcrusher]

Although I have never gone to the Kennedy space center I have witnessed launches in person. You used to be able to see the shuttle as it went up in Gainesville. Not really that much of a surprise since it isnt that far from the launch site.

It was an amazing sight in person. Then again, I have launched a mock mission and been a mission specialist as well. Plus done simulated launches and landings as well. You had to love U.S. Space Academy!

[sizemic1]

Better unpack your bags..CNN is reporting some tail tiles were damaged by a falling window cover.

[zippyjuan]

But they are saying at this point they do not expect it to delay the launch.

Space shuttle Discovery damaged on launch pad, liftoff not delayed, NASA says
July 12, 2005 5:56 PM EDT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - With the countdown for Discovery in its final hours, NASA was dealt a setback Tuesday when a window cover fell off the shuttle and damaged thermal tiles near the tail. But the space agency said it probably could fix the problem in time for Wednesday's launch.

The mishap was an eerie reminder of the very thing that doomed Columbia - damage to the spaceship's fragile thermal shield.

The plastic-and-foam cover on one of Discovery's cockpit windows fell at the launch pad and struck a bulge in the fuselage that houses an orbital-maneuvering engine.

Stephanie Stilson, NASA manager in charge of Discovery's launch preparations, said that the tiles on an aluminum panel were damaged and that a spare panel would be installed in its place late Tuesday. She said the work could be done in about an hour and should not delay the launch.

No workers were nearby when the window cover fell off and dropped about 60 feet (18 meters), the space agency said. It was not immediately clear why the cover - which was held by tape - came loose.

Word of the mishap came just two hours after NASA declared Discovery ready to fly to space, 2 1/2 years after the Columbia disaster.

Up until the window cover fell, NASA's only concern was the weather. Because of thunderstorms in the forecast, the chances of acceptable weather at launch time were put at 60 percent.

Discovery and its crew of seven were set to blast off at 3:51 p.m. EDT (1951 GMT). The last few technical concerns were resolved Tuesday afternoon at one final launch review by NASA's managers.

"It is utterly crucial for NASA, for the nation, for our space program to fly a safe mission," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said on the eve of the launch. "We have done everything that we know to do."

The families of the seven astronauts killed during Columbia's catastrophic re-entry praised the accident investigators, a NASA oversight group and the space agency itself for defining and reducing the dangers.

Like those who lost loved ones in the Apollo 1 spacecraft fire and the Challenger launch explosion, the Columbia families said they grieve deeply "but know the exploration of space must go on."

"We hope we have learned and will continue to learn from each of these accidents so that we will be as safe as we can be in this high-risk endeavor," they said in a statement.

Discovery will be setting off on the 114th space shuttle flight in 24 years with a redesigned external fuel tank and nearly 50 other improvements made in the wake of the Columbia tragedy.

A chunk of foam insulation the size of a carry-on suitcase fell off Columbia's fuel tank at liftoff and slammed into a reinforced carbon panel on the shuttle's wing, creating a hole that brought the spacecraft crashing down in pieces during its return to Earth on Feb. 1, 2003.

Almost every day since then, engineers have struggled to keep foam, ice and other debris from popping off the tank. They will not know whether they succeeded until Discovery flies.

During the 12-day flight, Discovery's astronauts will test various techniques for patching cracks and holes in the thermal shielding.

The crew members will also try out a new 50 foot-(15-meter)-boom designed to give them a three-dimensional laser view of the wings and nose cap and help them find any damage caused by liftoff debris. That is on top of all the pictures of the spacecraft that will be taken by more than 100 cameras positioned around the launching site and aboard two planes and the shuttle itself.

"After this flight, we will have a much, much, much better idea of whether or not our measures we have taken ... have been effective - or not effective," Griffin said. "Now our best engineers have put their best efforts on that, and we devoutly hope that they have been effective."

The board that investigated the Columbia accident put some of the blame on the space agency's safety culture, which collapsed during the doomed flight. Shuttle managers dismissed the foam strike, and engineers did not speak up about their fears.

At Tuesday's meeting, Griffin said, there was full and frank discussion of the remaining technical concerns.

"I think we got everything that everybody knows about out on the table," he said. "Can there be something that we don't know about that can bite us? Yeah. This is a very tough business. It's a tough business. But everything we know about has been covered."

---

[LegendKiller]

The damage was localized to tiles that are connected to an easily replaced module. It seems the tiles are attached to a larger section which is easily removed and replaced. They have already done this and are proceeding with the launch as scheduled.

[LPMiller]

c'mon baby, make it.

[speedracer120]

:stupid:

Money pit or not, NASA really does help to expand horizons.

[Markel]

I never saw a shuttle launch from up close - only from Daytona. My brother and I went down to photograph a Saturn launch many years ago - we were on the west side of the "river" (Intercoastal Waterway), which I think is one of the better places you can be without credentials.

[Houdini]

I'm jealous! I've always wanted to see a shuttle launch, especially a night launch. I've seen the shuttle streak across the horizon (from the MS gulf coast) with multiple sonic booms prior to landing in FL. Very cool.

[SecretIkon]

just remember to share the pics for those who can't view it live here on g|a. i know some people are tired of getting the tv feed want to see real pics.

[LegendKiller]

Well they scrubbed it due to a fuel tank sensor. Luckily we hadn't left yet, but we now know we need to leave earlier.

[Itsme]

I heard an interview of someone who regularly witnesses the launches. he said (1) be ready to feel the whole are shake, almost like an earthquake, and (2) watch the lake in front of the launch area because you'll see all the fish jump up out of the water for a few seconds.

[nickel]

I heard an interview of someone who regularly witnesses the launches. he said (1) be ready to feel the whole are shake, almost like an earthquake, and (2) watch the lake in front of the launch area because you'll see all the fish jump up out of the water for a few seconds.
that is cool.


looks like the launch is delayed until Monday.

[oogeooge]

best place to watch is the tv set cause launchs are always delayed

[nickel]

best place to watch is the tv set cause launchs are always delayed
no way, every thing is better live.

[oogeooge]

no way, every thing is better live.

not when shuttle launches are delayed all the time. that's why watching it on tv is better. you don't waste time standing outside for hours scratching your head when you discover launch has been postponed.

[nickel]

not when shuttle launches are delayed all the time. that's why watching it on tv is better. you don't waste time standing outside for hours scratching your head when you discover launch has been postponed.
have you seen a launch live?

[oogeooge]

does launching bottle rockets qualify? :)

[Markel]

When the Saturn rockets launched, our windows (in Daytona Beach) would rattle - 60 or 80 miles away from the launch site.