After having her stay in space extended by a day, Atlantis returned to the Kennedy Space Center just before 6am on July 21, bringing to a close the thirty year run of the Space Shuttle Program.
July, 2011 Archives
My stay in Florida for STS-135 coincided with the launch of a ULA Delta IV carrying an Air Force Block II-F GPS satellite at 2:41AM EDT. This provided me the opportunity to not only witness a night launch, but to try for a streak photo. The above image is a 5 minutes exposure at f/22 at 50ISO on a 5D MK II with a 24 1.4L II lens. For a first attempt I’d say the image is a success. As far as capturing the arc of the rocket, it falls a little short. I should have chosen a wider lens for the shot, and taken it at 20 or even 16mm. I also should have allowed for a little bit more time for the lens to acclimate to the warm Florida air. A bit of fog on the lens accounts for some of the haze visible around the streak. I guess I’ll be planning another trip down here at some point to give this shot another attempt.
Had a chance to get inside the space shuttle’s engine shop yesterday, here are a few frames that I liked. It was really cool to have the chance to see the engines up close and learn a little bit about how they are maintained and work.
