Posts Tagged endeavour
Against the Night
This photo leaves me speechless… and falls into my “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Photoshop!” category. The stars are fixed (seemingly) while the Earth whirls below…. Amazing. Breathtaking!
Backdropped by a night time view of the Earth and the starry sky, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is photographed docked at the International Space Station on May 28, 2011. The STS-134 astronauts left the station the next day on May 29, after delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and performing four spacewalks during Endeavour’s final mission.
Image Credit: NASA
The Need For Flight
“As soon as somebody demonstrates the art of flying, settlers from our species of man will not be lacking [on the moon and Jupiter]… Given ships or sails adapted to the breezes of heaven, there will be those who will not shrink from even that vast expanse.”
Johannes Kepler, letter to Galileo, 1610
I posted the above quote once before, but it bears repeating.
I almost titled this “The Miracle of Flight”, but some would (rightly) argue that flight is not a miracle at all, but a technological feat. I still find it miraculous, personally, but I don’t feel like quibbling over a choice of wording. No matter where you stand on the funding of our national space program, I dare you to look at these images and not feel slightly moved. That is our spaceship, America. That is our Endeavour. And after it, only one more of our ships will leave Earth and hang miraculously in orbit. (For the time being. Until further notice. Commercial space endeavors: please hurry.)
If you think our space program is a waste of time, chew on this: after July of this year, we will no longer have the capability to put people into orbit. China, on the other hand, will. Does that make you warm and fuzzy? I hope not.
Bon Voyage
Space shuttle Endeavour launched into cloudy skies yesterday morning — being on the West Coast (and absentminded), I missed the whole thing. Fortunately, NASA has pictures!
If you’re wondering what the launch looked like on the other side of those clouds, Stefanie Gordon (@Stefmara) has the answer for you (via Mashable):
Space shuttle as seen from airplane, photo by Stefanie Gordon (@Stefmara)
Last Endeavour
The naughty storm clouds you see (or ones quite similar to them, anyway) prevented the STS-134 #NASATweetup participants from seeing the RSS retraction last night, but it is my sincere hope that they will see a much better sight today: that of Endeavor launching on her final mission! Godspeed Endeavour and her crew, and may she lift off on-time and safely!
Endeavour Looks Up
Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper ( Spaceflight Now, LaunchPhotography.com)
I don’t have any time today (and didn’t yesterday, obviously), but here’s a beautiful photo of Space Shuttle Endeavour, currently awaiting her turn for final launch at the end of this month.
First flown in 1992, Endeavour, the youngest space shuttle orbiter, is being prepared for its 25th and final trip to low Earth orbit. Seen here from an exciting perspective 400 feet above the floor of Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building, Endeavour (OV-105) is mated to an external tank and solid rocket boosters just prior to roll out to launch pad 39A on March 11. The completed space shuttle stands over 18 stories tall. Intended for an April 19 near sunset launch on STS-134, Endeavour will head for the International Space Station and deliver the AMS cosmic ray experiment. The final flight of Endeavour will be the penultimate planned space shuttle flight.
Space Rocks!
Photo by Justin Ray/Spaceflight Now
My friend Jim Cook inspired this post, because it features his beloved SPACE ROCKS. Yessir, you are looking at genuine crawler-track gravel, across which many a spacefaring vehicle has inched! Jim encouraged me to pick up a pebble or two, as they have most definitely been touched by giant vehicles touching space shuttles and rockets. (Sadly I was never anywhere near the crawler track when I visited the launch pad. I probably should have picked up a rock anyway, as they have also most definitely been kissed by rocket exhaust… I AM A FOOL FOR NOT THINKING OF THIS EARLIER.)
I will forevermore be partial to Discovery, but I have to admit, Endeavour is looking lovely in these pictures. Godspeed, STS-134!
Photo by Justin Ray/Spaceflight Now
Orbiter Tributes
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives, Picspam on August 26, 2010
The Kennedy Media Gallery recently posted these beautiful “tribute” graphics to each orbiter — Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. They are well worth downloading at the large size, so you can see all the patches and details. All five hang in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Scaled Endeavour
Posted by Danielle in Collectibles on July 13, 2010
I’ve long been a fan of Japanese goods—the detail, the quality—but this scale model of Space Shuttle Endeavour goes beyond anything I’ve seen. It’s simply gorgeous, and perhaps the most amazing thing is the amount of texture. No smooth-surfaced orbiter here:
At nearly $500, it’s out of my price range, but if you find yourself with the funds necessary this December, DO pick one up! (Hat tip to collectSPACE for the link and info!)
Dark Shuttle
Today’s photo was featured on APOD last week, and probably several other places by now, but that’s because it’s an AMAZING image. Taken from the ISS, it shows Space Shuttle Endeavour approaching the station to dock.
What’s that approaching? Astronauts on board the International Space Station first saw it far in the distance. Soon it enlarged to become a dark silhouette. As it came even closer, the silhouette appeared to be a spaceship. Finally, at just past 11 pm (CST) last Tuesday, the object, revealed to be the Space Shuttle Endeavour, docked as expected with the Earth-orbiting space station. Pictured above, Endeavour was imaged near Earth’s horizon as it approached, where several layers of the Earth’s atmosphere were visible. Directly behind the shuttle is the mesosphere, which appears blue. The atmospheric layer that appears white is the stratosphere, while the orange layer is Earth’s Troposphere.
Launch Reflection
Credit & Copyright: James Vernacotola
I generally try to avoid posting two APOD pictures back to back, but it’s late (the night before), I’m tired, and this is a spectacular photo that posted over the weekend (so you may not have seen it.) I admit, I’m a sucker for night photography, but the framing of this shot — and oh, the colors!! — makes it downright FANTASTIC. Beautifully done, Mr. Vernacotola.
UPDATE, 2/22: The photographer has set up a special page for this photo, with a large Q&A section and reassurances that prints will be available soon. Join the mailing list to stay informed.
The 32nd shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-130, left planet Earth on February 8. Its early morning launch to orbit from Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A followed the long, graceful, eastward arc seen in this 2 minute time exposure. Well composed, the dramatic picture also shows the arc’s watery reflection from the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge, in Ponte Vedra, Florida, about 115 miles north of the launch site. In the celestial background a waning crescent Moon and stars left their own short trails against the still dark sky. The brightest star trail near the moon was made by red supergiant Antares, alpha star of the constellation Scorpius.
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About Silver Rockets
This blog celebrates space exploration, human spaceflight and the heavens, through lots and lots ofimages.
My name is Danielle Signor, and I am a space cadet. STS-133 NASA Tweetup Attendee!
This is a blog, NOT A SHOP. Click the images for their source or purchase link, if available.
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