This is possibly a Delta launch, and not a Shuttle launch. Either way, very cool. Thanks to commenter Paolo below.
BABloggee Greg Smith pointed me toward this amateur video showing a Space Shuttle launch from an airplane window (note: mild NSFW language in the vid)!
I have to say, this looks real to me. Hard to say if it’s a Shuttle or some other rocket, but the footage itself appears legit. Normally NASA restricts the airspace around a launch, but judging from the video it looks like the airplane was 50 or more miles away from the launch site. The rocket veers away from the camera, indicating the plane was west of the launch, so that hangs together as well. Sadly, the video ends before the solid rocket boosters separate from the Shuttle (which happens roughly two minutes into the flight); that would be very telling, and I have to admit it’s weird the video doesn’t go for longer. The problem with videos like this is the lack of any real info on the hosting sites! If anyone finds more, please leave a note in the comments below.
I have seen some weird stuff from airplanes, and I carry my camera on board all the time now Just In Case. I’d dearly love to catch something like this…
August 20th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
A commenter on NASA Watch said it was a Delta 2 launch:
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2008/08/todays_video_sh_1.html
August 20th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I think it is legit footage, and not CGI. The pilot came on and made some type of announcement. I did see this a few weeks ago, and thought I saw more info with it.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
The info I found on a couple of sites says it was Atlantis on a 2006 launch. The plane was an Air Canada flight headed from Nassau to Toronto.
Still, I bet this guy’s view was better:
http://www.patricksaviation.com/photos/popejoshpope/9465/
August 20th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
It probably doesn’t go longer because he was probably recording it on a cameraphone or similar device: they don’t have enough memory to do extended video shots.
I vote legit – not worth the effort to try and fake.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Neat. I remember the first (and only, so far) time I saw a launch – it was last year I believe from an island in Virginia. BA alerted us to when the launch would occur, and I went outside and marveled that I could see it from Western Maryland. It was pretty cool. I may have used some NSFW language myself.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
It looks real to me. The plane itself looks like an A320 judging from the wing shape, the winglets on wingtips, and how the engine hangs out. It’s traveling North-North West and this guy is just in front of the wing and engine. Checking the available Air Canada flights from Nassau to Toronto, there is one that uses an A320 on that route. So it definitely looks plausible. Sucks that he doesn’t have the entire flight on that video. That would have been really cool to watch.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcuMvQIGDcs
Video of a launch (Shuttle, maybe) filmed by a SKYDIVER!
August 20th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
What Rapid Eye said. Prolly an ordinary digital camera since he mentioned zooming (phones don’t have that yet, do they?).
You’re a sneaky git, by the way. I was sure you were gonna write about something like a scaled up version of White Knight + Spaceship One. (Or for that matter just the initial flight tests with the shuttle mated to a 747 (or what it was)).
August 20th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I should have done this before posting my original comment, but here is a picture of an Air Canada A320. You’ll notice the wing shape, winglets, and the engine nasselle. I think it matches up pretty well with the one seen in the video.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
It is in fact the launch of the Delta 2 carrying GPS 2R-18 on December 20, 2007.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I agree with those who say it’s real – I’ve seen one Shuttle launch from the air (commercial flight to Orlando), and it was pretty much the same – very cool.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
OH, WOW! That is so cool. Wow. How cool. That is so cool. (Didja see it?) That is so cool. Wow.
(Can ya see it?) Oh wow…
What CAN I say after that…
August 20th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Even if it is not the Shuttle, it is still very very cool!
August 20th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
You can see a change in the smoke trail at just about the halfway point. That’s consistent with a Delta igniting the second set of strap-ons.
Pretty amazing. Things like this are why I always sit next to the window despite having logged many hundreds of air hours. It’s still cool.
- Jack
August 20th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Phil, Stop covering for the government conspiracy. It’ s clear we can’t identify the object, so OBVIOUSLY it’s a UFO. From outer space. Going back home. That’s the ticket.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
@Mike Sperry,
That was cool!
August 21st, 2008 at 1:46 am
From the title I assumed it’d be some crap claim that they were going to launch shuttles from an airplane rather than the launch platform. I’m glad it was ‘just’ this vid. *grins*. Thumbs up, pretty awesome!
August 21st, 2008 at 1:48 am
Maybe replace ‘cr–’ by ‘silly’, not sure whether it’s ‘ok’ to use ‘cr–’ in the comments. After all, this is America and being a non-native speaker, I tend not to take into account the full spectrum of the foreign language I’m using ..
August 21st, 2008 at 3:53 am
Besides the topic, I saw my first big fireball (metoerite burning through the atmosphere), on a commercial plane, on my way home to india. It was a fantastic view.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:16 am
If you think that seeing a Shuttle launch from a distance is cool, I highly recommend taking the time to head to Kennedy and seeing one from the Banana River Causeway — about 5.5 – 6.0 nm from the launch pad.
Then again, the Shuttle is cool, but even it hardly compared to a Saturn V. Now THAT was a ROCKET!
August 21st, 2008 at 7:45 am
You can’t say silly, silly people would be offended.
Great shot. Those videos from NASA airplanes of the first launches after the Columbia disaster were also pretty cool. Wonder if they’re still available on the NASA media site…
Think I found it here (can’t check the video here, unfortunately): http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/
“WB-57 Chase Plane Video” halfway down the right of that page.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:31 am
I don’t think that is a shuttle launch. I lived in St. Augustine and now I am in Orlando. Even from the distance the video was taken from some flames from the SRBs should be visible. I agree with those who say it is a Delta rocket. Even as far away as Jacksonville, and probably farther, the flames are easily visible. In fact, that is all you can really see, as well as the smoke plume of course.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:40 am
When I read the title, I immediately thought of the the shuttle theft in Moonraker. Then I thought some future version of the shuttle would be launched from a plane to avoid all the fuel wastage from a standing start.
Then I saw it was what it was, and I was vaguely let down.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:01 am
The original Shuttle ‘Enterprise’ was launched – orbiter only – to glide test it – from an aircraft wasn’t it? Jumbo jet I think … but that was way back around the late 1970′s – early 1980′s if I recall right?
August 21st, 2008 at 11:07 am
(HEARTS) Says:
“Maybe replace ‘cr–’ by ’silly’, not sure whether it’s ‘ok’ to use ‘cr–’ in the comments. After all, this is America and being a non-native speaker, I tend not to take into account the full spectrum of the foreign language I’m using ..”
Yes, I’m never sure just what “swear words” are & aren’t allowed here.
Perhaps the Bad Astronomer would be kind enough to put up somewhere a list of all the words we can’t use so we can avoid saying them?
Seriously though, while thereareways around them and while everyone knoews what we’re meaning to say anyway this whole “no swearing’ rule strikes me as really pretty silly, hypocritical and childish.
Still, I do try to be polite & consider others here though .. No, really I do!
August 21st, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Top notch live video-commentary! A man of few words, repeated endlessly. Not sure I’d be any better in the circumstances though :O)
August 21st, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Holy S*** is right! Very cool! Even though we don’t get shuttle launches here in SoCal, Vandenberg puts on a show every once in a while. Several times I’ve been able to see the rockets go through staging from Whittier [14 miles from downtiown LA]. As an earth science teacher, I’d say that having earthquakes and a better selection of rocks and minerals to collect makes up for the lack of shuttle launches. I was present at the first free flight of Enterprise at Edwards in the summer of ’77 – my best memory [since my camera light meter was trashed] is how long the sucker glided before it landed on the lake bed
August 21st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I would tend to agree with the Delta folks. If it were the Shuttle, it would have been off downrange to the SE pretty early on.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I dunno. It looks to me like the shuttle(?) is being launched from the ground.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:55 am
I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the ‘no-swearing-rule’ is “really pretty silly, hypocritical and childish”. I just have slight issues determining what’s swearing and what’s not. Having learned a lot of my english in Australia, I do tend to use words or phrases that may come across as offensive in other parts of the world. And sometimes these things just slip, even though I am trying my best to come across as well-behaved. And to all the aussies out there, I’m not saying that you’re not well-behaved, don’t get me wrong
August 25th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
There is a Skydiving Drop Zone near Canavaral that does jump loads that coincide with shuttle launches..
Lots of cool photos of a formation with the shuttle launching in the background.