NIGHT LAUNCH IN MARCH, 2008

WELL-LIT ON THE PAD

While waiting for the launch of Discovery on Saturday evening, I talked with some other viewers about the earlier launch of Endeavour back on March 11, 2008. That is the one that left after two in the morning.

They had watched the launch from somewhere south of our present location. I had chosen a vantage point at the Titusville Marina, just across the bridge from our current location.

He, like I, had been very surprised when the shuttle disappeared into a very low-haninging ceiling very soon after launch. The sky had been so dark that no one was aware that the clouds had dropped in so low over the launch pad. I tried to get some good shots of the first night launch since 2006. The pad was well lit before the launch and as you can see from the picture above, I had a good line of sight. I had the camera on the tripod for this occasion but quickly discovered that I didn't need it.

The initial ignition literally lit up the night. The first few frames I shot had a massive amount of glare in them. Suddenly, the low ceiling became visible in the bright light. One of the best shots I have ever made came as the shuttle entered the low-hanging cloud cover. I think it is well worth sharing here.

ENDEAVOUR DISAPPEARS INTO THE CLOUDS