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Fuzzy and Debbie see a Clear Night Launch (Endeavour STS-126 Trip Report)
Michael Mauldin fuzzy@lazytoad.com
Friday, November 14th, 2008

Thanks to our congressional representative John Carter, we got a VIP invitation to view the night launch of STS-126. We'd hoped for seats near the Saturn V museum, but we got the VIP overflow area on the causeway, instead. Still we had a good view of the shuttle from there, and the weather was beautiful.

Fuzzy finally got the whole trail (almost 7 minutes of it) on camera, showing a textbook parabola.

The moon rises over the Delta Assembly Bldg
The moon rises over the Delta Assembly Bldg
Endeavour sits ready on the pad
Endeavour sits ready on the pad
The Vehicle Assembly Bldg
The Vehicle Assembly Bldg
Endeavour rises as a fireball
Endeavour rises as a fireball
A little higher and the trail of exhaust can be seen
A little higher and the trail of exhaust can be seen
T+70 seconds
T+70 seconds
There were few people to our left because an island blocked the view there
There were few people to our left because an island blocked the view there
Long exposure 6 min 52 sec (f22 w -3 stop ND filter)
Long exposure 6 min 52 sec (f22 w -3 stop ND filter)