Chris Alexander

On Engineering

Space Shuttle Ascent Video

29th November, 2009

Earlier on this month, the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on STS-129, a mission to the International Space Station.

Its main goals were to provide numerous spare parts to the station; with the Shuttle fleet retiring in 2010, the ISS needs to be stocked up on replacement parts that are too large for other currently-available launch vehicles to carry.

Earlier this morning, I discovered a video on Vimeo compiled by the Space Shuttle Systems Engineering and Integration team. It features highlights of the launch of Atlantis, with video and photos taken from the ground, the Shuttle’s fixed cameras, and cameras mounted on the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB, the long white engines that are jettisoned during launch) and the external fuel tank (large orange construction that is ejected later and burns up in the atmosphere).

I have embedded the video below, along with some extra photos and the HD launch video broadcast live on NASA TV.

Here are some photos of the Shuttle at various points throughout its mission.

Here’s the NASA TV stream of the launch in HD.