• Got the Contributing Memberships stuff finally worked out and made up a thread as a sort of "How-To" to help people figure out how to participate. So if you need help figuring it out, here's the thread you need to take a look at -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3581 Thank you, everyone! Rich Z.

STS-128 Space Shuttle Discovery Night Launch...PICS!

MADN3SS

MADN3SS

New member
Well this will go down as one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. What a beautiful sight. Discovery launched at 11:59:37 on 08/28 en route to the ISS.

I secured Congressional VIP tickets through, go figure, my Congressman! Originally we were supposed to be on NASA Causeway just under 7 miles from Launch Pad 39A, but were bumped up to the Banana Creek VIP viewing area because NASA issued fewer passes than usual.

We made the trip over for launch on Tuesday morning, but it was canceled due to lightning within 5 nautical miles of the launch pad. We made the trip home. Started driving back for Wednesday morning launch and found out it was scrubbed for a valve problem in the main propulsion system after driving 1/3 of the way. Drove home. Launch was postponed 48 hours to Friday morning. Woke up Thursday afternoon to find out it was postponed another 24 hours to 11:59 last night. Made the trip over again (we would have stayed over if it was pushed back until today.)

Anyway, here a couple of pics.
 

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I have no idea why the color seems off...hmm.

Here is a pic of Discovery on the launch pad and lightning within 5 miles. From Tuesday morning. Picture was featured on Bay News 9 for a few hours.
 

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WOW! Great pics! I'd like to witness a launch, but it sounds way to iffy for a long trip over there.
 
:eek::eek::eek::eek: WOW !!!!!

How freakin awesome is that ?????

It is beautiful...man I hope to see this one day in person.

Thank you so much for sharing !!!!!!!!!!
 
Great pics, thanks.:thumbsup: Maybe it's deceiving because of the distance but that lightning looks a lot closer than 5 miles, maybe within a few hundred feet.:eek:
 
Rich Z said:
WOW! Great pics! I'd like to witness a launch, but it sounds way to iffy for a long trip over there.
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There are only 6 launches left but they are talking about the possibility of extending it if they don't get the Ares program running soon. The worse part about coming over for a launch is, they have a very narrow window to meet with the International Space Station. About 15-20 minutes a day. If they miss that, the next attempt would be about 20 minutes earlier the next day. I've heard that when the shuttle goes up for another purpose (like working on the Hubble) the window is much greater.

It was worth the long trip over 2 1/2 times. If I do it again, I'll plan to spend a week on vacation on the east coast.

Mark Dalton said:
Great pics, thanks.:thumbsup: Maybe it's deceiving because of the distance but that lightning looks a lot closer than 5 miles, maybe within a few hundred feet.:eek:
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We were about 3.5 miles west of the pad and this storm was east of it. Had it got much closer, they would have cleared us out into the building. Since we all know as Floridians that lightning can strike on a clear day with no cloud for 10 miles.
 
Great pics. Thanks for sharing. If I write to my congressman, I can get VIP passes for lauch date? Is this correct? Also curious as to your camera set up, tripod, lens, exposure times???? Thanks again. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
THOR said:
Great pics. Thanks for sharing. If I write to my congressman, I can get VIP passes for lauch date? Is this correct? Also curious as to your camera set up, tripod, lens, exposure times???? Thanks again. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
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From what I understand you can't just pick a launch date that you want to see. I had asked last October (it was about 2 weeks before the launch) and was told they had allotted their tickets already. I think there were 2 launches after that and then this one. Keep in mind that we have 2 senators in Florida but many Congressmen. I asked both Senators, but they said they didn't have any left and never mentioned anything about puttin me on a list. My congressman (his aide) was much more helpful and willing to go that extra mile. He even called me a couple of times.

As for the camera set up, I have a Nikon D300 and this was a rented lens. Sigma 50-500mm f4-f5.3, Manfrotto tripod with a Really Right Stuff Ballhead. I read a bunch of photographers info on taking launch pics and figured it out. f11 at 1/500th of a second exposure. I also bracketed the exposures by 1/3 of a stop just in case.

I wish I had another setup to do something like this too! He was about 25 feet to the left of me. Cool lookin' exposure.

Viewed from the Banana River Viewing Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery arcs through a cloud-brushed sky, lighted by the trail of fire after launch on the STS-128 mission. Image Credit: NASA/Ben Cooper
 

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Thanks for the info. You have to be really prepared for photos like these especially if you are bracketing them. It's dark outside and objects being photographed are moving fast. Nice work and thanks again for sharing.
 
Very cool pics. I am working on learning more about the fine points of photography. I took some of a day launch a few months ago but the camera quality was not as nice as it was a standard pocket size digital.

Here are my few:

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Z06 Rocket said:
Very cool pics. I am working on learning more about the fine points of photography. I took some of a day launch a few months ago but the camera quality was not as nice as it was a standard pocket size digital.
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Where were you situated for this launch? Were you able to see the shuttle on the launch pad? I want to go back and see one during the day. I'd like to catch one from the NASA Causeway.
 
MADN3SS said:
Where were you situated for this launch? Were you able to see the shuttle on the launch pad? I want to go back and see one during the day. I'd like to catch one from the NASA Causeway.
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I was at the intersection of US 1 and SR 50 across from a Walgreens store. It was crazy busy there just north of the Ecklers building.
 
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