[Download Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 Launch Poster] (6940 x 5180 pixels, 2.9MB)

Endeavour’s STS-134 launch at Kennedy Space Center was my first space shuttle launch ever, and it was incredible. At T minus 2 minutes, my heart rate became elevated as adrenaline flooded my body. The bright-as-sun burn combined with the thunderous sonic boom (heard multiple times from reflections) was a visceral reminder of how incredible it is that we can shoot people up into space simply because we feel like doing so.

I set up my camera on the causeway and snapped a bunch of images (using a remote, so I could watch the launch using my own eyes). I had so many images of the launch that I put them all together in a poster, which is available to download in high-resolution. Enjoy!

Photos were taken with a Canon 7D, Canon 500mm f/4 L IS, Canon 1.4x teleconverter, Gitzo carbon fiber tripod, and Wimberly head. Exposure was 1/1000 sec at f/11, ISO 320. In the image sequence, the time elapsed between the first image and last is about 15 seconds.