Author Topic: Mystery picture (Read 6661 times)

Steve Fitton · « **on:** April 12, 2010, 10:01:14 AM »

While on vacation last week, I snapped this nightime vista. Any guesses to where I was?

(my apologies for not using a tripod for this 4 second handheld shot)

Paul Taylor · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2010, 10:08:23 AM »

Outside?

Brian Massey · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2010, 10:24:21 AM »

In the dark!

Brian

Tom Niebuhr · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2010, 10:31:15 AM »

The Cape?

Steve Fitton · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2010, 10:35:20 AM »

Quote from: Tom Niebuhr on April 12, 2010, 10:31:15 AM

The Cape?

Tom wins the gold Kewpie doll! Viewed from Titusville, pad 39A is floodlit, pad 39B is visible from the four surrounding towers they put in place for the Ares launch, and the massive VAB is the box off to the right. A few hours later I snapped the next picture:

Brian Massey · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2010, 10:40:21 AM »

Awesome!

Brian

Paul Taylor · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2010, 11:43:14 AM »

A big roman candle.... still in the dark.

Tom Niebuhr · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2010, 12:20:57 PM »

Awsome!

It is unbelievable that the current adminstration has little or no interest in future programs. The space program has changed the world. Our personal lives reflect this. Cell phones, TV, instant wordwide communications and news. We couldn't dream of this 30 years ago. Who knows what is in the future.

We have given so much to the world.

And now we will have to depend on the Russians!

Garf · « **Reply #8 on:** April 12, 2010, 01:16:29 PM »

They think they have more important things to spend the money on.

Brett Buck · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2010, 02:55:41 PM »

Quote from: Garf on April 12, 2010, 01:16:29 PM

They think they have more important things to spend the money on.

"Important" being in the eye of the beholder.

Brett

Bill Heher · « **Reply #10 on:** April 12, 2010, 05:45:48 PM »

Take a Billion dollars and spend it on space / research / developement and eventually you may get a return of 2 or 3 to 1 and advance our society another step forward.

Take a Billion dollars and use it to buy votes and you get re-elected, i.e. "Instant Gratification" for the people who got a slice of the money and for the suits who handed it out.

Don't know how to fix it - but that is the way I see it working in this country lately.

Brett Buck · « **Reply #11 on:** April 12, 2010, 05:54:40 PM »

Quote from: Bill Heher on April 12, 2010, 05:45:48 PM

Take a Billion dollars and use it to buy votes and you get re-elected, i.e. "Instant Gratification" for the people who got a slice of the money and for the suits who handed it out.

Don't know how to fix it - but that is the way I see it working in this country lately.

The funny thing about that is that even having given out something like $2-2.5 TRILLION, Congress job approval is 10% or so and the Malignant Narcissist in Chiefs approval has plummeted in historic fashion. That seems to indicate that people are catching on.

Brett

Randy Ryan · « **Reply #12 on:** April 12, 2010, 06:04:56 PM »

Quote from: Brett Buck on April 12, 2010, 05:54:40 PM

The funny thing about that is that even having given out something like $2-2.5 TRILLION, Congress job approval is 10% or so and the Malignant Narcissist in Chiefs approval has plummeted in historic fashion. That seems to indicate that people are catching on.

Brett

Let's hope so Brett!

Bill Heher · « **Reply #13 on:** April 12, 2010, 06:20:46 PM »

Hope springs Eternal!

And to get back to the original topic- If anyone who has not seen a Shuttle launch is debating making the pilgrimage- Do IT! You only have a few more chances, by 2011 it will be history.

You will never forget it, your chest will swell with pride and your eyes will tear up if there is a breath of national pride in your body. I have already told my boss to expect a few sick / personal days from me, and I'll buy my own ticket home if I am out of town on assignment.

I watched the one in the picture from the heli-pad on top of Orlando Int'l Airport on my way out of town, next time I'll be on the coast with some freinds- both old and new.

Bill Morell · « **Reply #14 on:** April 12, 2010, 07:16:14 PM »

The election in 2012? Hopefully change that we can really believe in!!!!!!!!!!!!

john e. holliday · « **Reply #15 on:** April 13, 2010, 10:24:59 AM »

Not as long as illegals are allowed to vote.

Did I say that? But, change can come about if we get out and vote the incumbents out. But, then the new ones will not be any better. Politics is politics and money talks louder than words. But, back to airplanes and flying. I love the shuttle launch and maybe one of these years may get to see one in person.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #16 on:** April 13, 2010, 10:45:41 AM »

Wife and I happened to be in Florida several years ago and Roger V took us to dinner an a great view of a shuttle launch. Forever thankful and wife still talks about how awesome it was.

Roger Vizioli · « **Reply #17 on:** April 13, 2010, 01:04:57 PM »

Bob,
It was my pleasure!

Maryann and I still talk about your visit every time we watch a launch, and we have seen just about all of them and the return landings here at the Space Center (both 747 Piggyback and the actual shuttle landing here). 747/shuttle piggyback has flown over the house, awesome site from our own property.
Roger V.

Chuck Feldman · « **Reply #18 on:** April 13, 2010, 02:37:20 PM »

Gentlemen; There is but one answer to all the things you have mentioned political.

VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT IN THE NEXT TWO ELECTIONS!

Please join all of us who will be doing this.

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #19 on:** April 13, 2010, 02:56:57 PM »

I was about to guess Las Vegas..

(New Mexico)

L.

"Everyone has a fair turn to be as great as he pleases." -Jeremy Collier

Steve Fitton · « **Reply #20 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:44:48 PM »

It is pretty much a bummer when you have reservations about telling your 8 year old son watching the launch that he could "grow up and be an astronaut" because you can't be sure there will be any in 25 years or so. There will be plenty of cosmonauts and whatever the Chinese call theirs, but perhaps no American ones.

Having said that, don't wait till the elections, call your Senator or Representative NOW and tell them you think canceling the Ares program stinks. My wife has a sign in her practice telling patients that if you don't like Medicare or Obamacare, don't complain to your doctor, call your representative and unload on them instead.

And finally, three launches left, if you have a chance, go see one. They are awesome!

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #21 on:** April 13, 2010, 04:59:38 PM »

$770 billion bought a LOT of votes, Wall Street votes: and those are infinitely more valuable than illegal alien votes..

Perhaps we can flush Medicare to pay for it, send out a large portion of the 65+ crowd onto the ice floe. (Soylent International has offered to cleanly dispose of them, there's your return on investment..)

Forget messing with China! Unless you are prepared for Walmart to suffer.. China is in the process of building over 200 bullet trains; we cannot manage even one between L.A. and Vegas. But we do need to understand economic priorities in our country. Clearly, maximizing short term profit is missing in long term concerns about infrastructure.

Each Shuttle flight costs well over $500 million (in late 1990s bucks), so 3 or 4 of them keeps the Iraq War burning another week or two. There are economic priorities - remember, the Shuttle originally had to be sold on its re-usability. Several Congress critters expected some positive cash flow from it - a PROFIT! NASA has been asking (begging) for development funds for a successor for well over a decade, but there are priorities.. (Perhaps if we could find some military value in a new version?)

Now, the ultimate Worst Thing has befallen our beloved country - a suspiciously elected, foreign born, non-white 'president' who is articulate and speaks in complete sentences without being a laughing stock, but is unfortunately the Anti-Christ. (Didn't he arise from the sea <of humanity>, with his extreme charisma? Expect the Malignant Narcissist in Chief <thanks, Brett> to mysteriously solve a major World Problem soon, recover from a head wound, etc. The beast with 10 crowns and 7 heads, clearly the European Common Market, has long since risen.. A few tens of thousand of us will soon disappear into the clouds; the first of seven seals will begin opening soon..) Anyway, some really interesting stuff will occur soon - the hurricanes and earthquakes have already started.

So, America's Manned space flight is going the way of control line stunt, my friends.. And sad it is.

L.

"A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money." -Senator Everett Dirksen (with apologies)

catdaddy · « **Reply #22 on:** April 13, 2010, 06:31:26 PM »

Quote from: Larry Cunningham on April 13, 2010, 04:59:38 PM

$770 billion bought a LOT of votes, Wall Street votes: and those are infinitely more valuable than illegal alien votes..

"A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money." -Senator Everett Dirksen (with apologies)

Funny stuff Larry, but it's wasted here in the land of men and toy airplanes. Everyone knows that if you can build a toy airplane surely you know everything about how the world turns. Good grief. It's ironic that the only reason Obama is president is because the previous moron made it so Joe Stalin could have been elected. Go back to huffing dope fumes it's obviously done lots of good for most here.

regards

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #23 on:** April 13, 2010, 07:02:53 PM »

Rick,

Believe me, I'd LIKE to. But the dang EPA has taken the (good) fumes out of our dope!

Must the Government control EVERY bleeding aspect of our existence?!

L.

"If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders." -Hal Abelson

EddyR · « **Reply #24 on:** April 13, 2010, 08:15:07 PM »

I took this picture about 30 minutes after Steve's takeoff picture from about 200 miles away on the west coast of Florida near New Port Richey.We had started home to North Carolina and saw all the launch from our car as we were driving. The vapor trail kept getting bigger and bigger with all these great colors.
Ed

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #25 on:** April 13, 2010, 08:56:35 PM »

Very cool photo! Night time photography can be particularly difficult, I had a terrible time trying to photograph the Aurora from Anchorage in 1966.

We had something like this vapor trail visible in Las Cruces several years ago after a big missile had been launched at White Sands. (I think it was a Pershing..) I was on my way to work at WSMR at 5:45 AM and it was a glorious view.

Something revealed there about atmospheric flows.

L.

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." -Winston Churchill

Jim Pollock · « **Reply #26 on:** April 13, 2010, 09:18:54 PM »

I A G R E E !!

We need to elect Romney or Huckabee to get our country back! Oh yeah, a complete changeup in congress and the senate would help greatly.

Jim Pollock, Not sure what my party is anymore. I guess that I align mostly with Tea Party and Libratarians (sp)

Steve Fitton · « **Reply #27 on:** April 13, 2010, 10:32:21 PM »

Thats an awesome picture Eddy!

I liked this one too, I'd never seen the faint comet like plume from the main engines deep into their burn until I saw it in person. The camera doesn't do justice to the colors that were present...

Bill Heher · « **Reply #28 on:** April 13, 2010, 10:44:44 PM »

Steve,

I noticed the unusual plume after SRB drop-off also. That is an awsome picture- I was tryingto describe it to a friend of mine, now I'll send him the link to this.

I suspect it might have been visible because the sun was still below the horizon- but shining on the Shuttle as it reached that altitude and the sun highlighted the plume from each of the 3 main engines.

You can tell that the atmosphere was pretty thin, the shock wave from the engines is pushing the plumes well away from the center of the vehicle. I've seen similar effects from on board cameras on either an Atlas or Delta launch.

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #29 on:** April 14, 2010, 01:03:09 AM »

It's still a pretty fine photo, Steve. Considering the faster films available nowadays, it might be easier than when I was developing my own ASA-64 color slides . I wonder just how the new quality digital cameras hold up.

I'm a huge fan, I'd dearly love to watch a launch. (My controllers and firmware flew successfully on a couple of low STS-numbers, including STS-8, the first night launched and night landed mission <Challenger>; I have a souvenir battery from one of those experiments, which has orbited earth many many times..)

Somewhere I've even got an STS-8 patch, as per photo below. Now you've made me want to go locate that thing.

L.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." -Anais Nin

George · « **Reply #30 on:** April 14, 2010, 07:59:12 AM »

Quote from: Larry Cunningham on April 13, 2010, 04:59:38 PM

...'president' who is articulate and speaks in complete sentences without being a laughing stock...

Thank goodness for teleprompters!

George

Steve Fitton · « **Reply #31 on:** April 14, 2010, 08:30:40 AM »

Another view of the main engine plume, this one taken about a minute or so before the other one I posted.

Ed Burkot · « **Reply #32 on:** April 14, 2010, 10:37:32 AM »

Ed: Thanks for posting the photo of the multi-colored vapor trails. I too saw this as I headed out the door to go to work and wished I had taken a photo. From my home north of Orlando, the white trail looked exactly like a capital 'Q', and the other trail looked like a series of question marks below the large Q!

Ed Burkot

Ed Burkot · « **Reply #33 on:** April 14, 2010, 12:11:24 PM »

Ed Ruane: I do believe you took that photo on SR 54, just east of Route 589. Does that sound right? I work at the local power company and recognize those power poles!

Ed

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #34 on:** April 14, 2010, 12:59:01 PM »

Quote from: George Bain on April 14, 2010, 07:59:12 AM

Thank goodness for teleprompters!

George

Indeed.

L.

"He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help." -Abraham Lincoln

EddyR · « **Reply #35 on:** April 14, 2010, 06:56:41 PM »

Ed Burkot Yes I was on rt 54 about 20 miles east of US-19 I think. I believe I was past the toll rd out off Tampa. I leaned out the car window and grabbed the shot. There was to much traffic to stop and get out of the car. Here is another full frame shot,3-4 second exposure.
Ed

chuck merkel · « **Reply #36 on:** April 14, 2010, 09:17:44 PM »

Nice pictures Steve. In December 1972 (I was 12) my family was camped out behind a gasoline station that had been converted to an orange juice stand just off the highway in Titusville. We watched Apollo 17 lift off some time after midnight. While it was visually stunning, the thing I remember most was the sound. It was a dead calm night and the water was like a pane of glass. After the lift off I noticed a ripple coming across the water. When the ripple reached the shore, the ground started to shake and I realized it was the sound. The other thing I remember about that launch is just how slowly the rocket started to move. It sat on the pad and seemed to think about it for a moment or two before it started moving.

In the early 1980s I was living in Orlando and got to see a couple of shuttle lift offs. What still impresses me about those is how quickly the shuttle is off the pad. Unlike the Saturn V that thought about it for a while, the shuttle leaps off the pad leaving no doubt about where it is going. The energy released by those solid boosters is impressive.

Chuck Merkel

Jim Pollock · « **Reply #37 on:** April 19, 2010, 10:21:46 PM »

Chuck,

Unfortunately Obama is going to put nearly everyone on the shuttle and other programs out of work before he can be voted out of office. I'll be everyone from NASA who voted for him wishes they hadn't now! Anyway, If you meet up with a Mr. Rollin Keszler at at contest, he is the NASA man who is responsible for those awesome solid rocket boosters these days. He has a crew that retrieves them after launches and sends them back for re-loading and return for other shuttle missions, of which there unfortunately won't be any now, boo hoo...

Jim Pollock, NASA supporter!

john e. holliday · « **Reply #38 on:** April 20, 2010, 08:51:45 PM »

Did you hear about the company that was having to down size because of the present administration. CEO stated he talked to the union reps about it they were in agreement. Any vehicle with an Obama sticker the owner of that vehicle would be let go.

George · « **Reply #39 on:** April 20, 2010, 09:50:40 PM »

Probably many of the Obama stickers were removed during the "Clunkers" trade in program.

George