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The July 8 launch of Atlantis was as visually spectacular as any prior shuttle liftoff, but the images are particularly compelling for their historic import
July 8, 2011 | 2
Scientific American's Michael J. Battaglia snapped this shot of Atlantis on the launch pad during a pre-launch press tour of the vehicle on the afternoon of July 7, 2011.
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Damian Salas took this fantastic image of Atlantis seconds after liftoff.
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About one million visitors watched Atlantis lift off via NASA-TV online.
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Hundreds of members of the media and other privileged members of the public gathered at Cape Canaveral to watch the historic launch.
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The forecast for a successful launch had not been promising all week, but the clouds cleared sufficiently on the morning of July 8 to allow for a successful liftoff on the first attempt.
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As Atlantis disappeared, the viewing public scattered to receive news that the shuttle's solid rocket boosters separated smoothly and that main-engine cutoff occurred without incident, enabling the shuttle to achieve orbit without any issues....[More]
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2 Comments
Add CommentLook at those pictures- see the amazing things we can do! Why don't we want to be that country that can do amazing, impossible things, anymore? Why are we giving up the dream? We should be all the way to Mars by now!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm 48 years old, and I wonder if I will live long enough to see another launch like this from U.S. soil. The bitter dysfunction and posturing that dominates our government today is hardly friendly to lofty concepts such as exploration and inspiring people to rise above narrow tribalism. Quite the opposite.
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