Space shuttle acrobatics

[sff_corgi_lj]

What do you think, gold-medal-worthy? ;)

For those who might have missed seeing the footage of the 'Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver', also known as the 'shuttle backflip' -- or just want to see it again:

http://wm.nasa-global.speedera.net/wm.nasa-global/RTF/backflip.wmv (Windows Media Video file)

Other STS-114 offerings:

• External tank, photographed from Discovery - Hi-res (329 Kb), but really neat
• Another external tank image, showing the area of foam loss - EXTREMELY large, but might be worth the wait for the detail (Hi-res (1.5 Mb))
• Fisheye lens launch photo (medium (720 x 505, 72 ppi))
• Launch photo with reflection, very artsy (Medium (722 x 480, 72 ppi))

Also, have fun with Java and watch the Station/Shuttle orbit:

J-Track for Spacecraft.

Comments

[ravensnape.livejournal.com]

I like the image of it hitting the bird with its nose cone. Poor bird. Talk about bad Karma. Just what did the poor feathered fiend do in another life to deserve to be flattened by a space shuttle?

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

What was the bird still doing around THAT much noise instead of bolting? A launch is incredibly loud from miles and miles away, never mind close enough to get whacked by a spacecraft.

Canaveral/Kennedy, incidentally, is also a wildlife refuge - they've got eagles on the tour. :) This is problematic in that they also have a feral pig problem that wildlife regs inadvertently protect.

[ravensnape.livejournal.com]

My first thought was maybe it was born there and used to the noise but unless the bird was older then two years with a very long memory, :D, then I haven't a clue.

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

Oh, but I think that was a previous flight... but it'd still have to have a long birdy memory. :)