Here’s a video I made of STS-134 using the 50-image launch sequence shoved into Adobe After Effects. Time warp FTW! (read more »)

[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.

An astronaut is prepped for a flight in the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Lab

I went to visit the NASA NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Lab) today for an unscheduled, last-minute, behind-the-scenes tour, thanks to Joe Holley, who worked there for nearly ten years. It was funny because everywhere we went, his old work buddies made “HEY, get that guy out of here!” gestures before then inviting us over for a closer look. (read more »)

hanging out at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Special thanks to Joe Holley, for arranging the tour, and to James Wiseman for the loan of a nice camera to document the tour. I’ll post more photos soon!