Mon
29
Sep '08
According to Wired Science SpaceX successfully put their Falcon 1 rocket into space.
SpaceX has made history. Its privately developed rocket has made it into space.
After three failed launches, the company founded by Elon Musk worked all of the bugs out of their Falcon 1 launch vehicles.
The entire spectacle was broadcast live from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific. Cameras mounted on the spacecraft showed our planet shrinking in the distance and the empty first stage engine falling back to Earth.
I just watched the footage and I’ll tell you it’s a pretty inspiring thing.
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Wow! Congrats to them!
I’m really curious who NASA gets to do their cameras, because comparitively to this video, NASA needs another vendor in that arena. What a difference. I do realize there are probably some significant issues with the size of the space shuttle vs. this rocket as far as stability, but the picture is just brilliant on the SpaceX rocket.
No kidding. It’s pretty amazing, watching the Earth drop away like that. Plus hearing them explain how the colors of the rocket’s flame change with altitude is a darn useful detail when writing SF.
I’m not sure if NASA uses the same company’s camera(s) for all their footage, but according to this article they used a camera by CrossLink, Inc on the October 7, 2002 launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.