Shuttle Atlantis STS-132 - Amazing Shuttle Launch Experience
Kennedy Space Center, May 14th 2010.
I was privileged to travel to the Kennedy Space Center, to watch the launch of Atlantis, on what was then, the final "scheduled" flight of the orbiter (STS-132). This video is my homage to the shuttle program, through the in depth experience of a single orbiter launch. I believe we should be thankful for the Atlantis orbiter, all her astronauts, the countless NASA staff who made her fly, and the American people who created a space vehicle of extraordinary power and grace.
This footage incorporates numerous camera views from the ground, footage I took during launch, and video and audio from NASA showing the orbiter stack itself, during takeoff and flight - in order to experiencing the all the preparation and the resulting eight and a half minute exhilarating ride into space.
this has been a very quiet morning for tanking, no issues that the teams working weather is set at, currently at 70% chances of having good conditions at liftoff time This is the Vehicle Assembly Building, that is where the shuttle gets put together and then it rolls out, a couple of miles, out to where the shuttle pad is That pad 39a... shuttle Atlantis is on there, is on there, waiting to take off final inspection team and close out crew have entered the pad. final inspection team is complete and we’ll be rolling back to AB11 Did we get everything?
Inspection complete, we are departing the pad copy departing the pad, and just head up Tom, flight crew has... are in the process of departing the LMC at this time, you guys might make it without having to pull over but I’ll need you to be advised that they are in route to the padand here comes our STS-132 Atlantis crew so with that, the Astro Van now will proceed on out to Pad 39a there they go, and they’ll be escorted out to the pad by a NASA security van, as is customary, behind them the inspection team is on the way back from the pad in their vehicles, I don’t think the two will pass, but it will be close the landing aids at the shuttle landing facility are about to be activated should a return to a landing site be necessary this afternoon.
The Astro Van now arriving at the pad and going up the incline the ramp, on the way up to the pads surface the crew compartment reports that they are ready for the astronauts ingress The crew may pause for a moment to take a look at Atlantis before they head up the elevator and that exactly what they’re doing that shot there, looking up the side of the flame trench to the crew on the pad surface and were at t-minus three hours and holding with an hour two minutes 50 seconds remaining in his built-in hold here are the astronauts now, getting off the elevator ready to cross the orbiter access arm and our commander Ken Ham being assisted with his launch and entry suit prior to boarding Atlantis to be our first crew member aboard today here we see our Commander being seated in the cockpit and Mission Specialist #3, Steve Bowen, being assisted with his launch an entry suit Steve Bowen now confirmed to be aboard Atlantis at this time Tony Anton Elli, our pilot, will be boarding next Piers Sellers, is Mission Specialist #4 ready for his entry into the crew compartment next to board, is Mission Specialist #1, aboard Atlantis on STS-132.
Yes, so were three hours from launch, just a little under, and so some of these guys have already been sitting on their back for a little while. I guess when you can’t turn your head, can’t move around, a mirror is not a bad thing to have and Mike Good, who you’ll hear called Buenoon the loops during the mission that crew has actually been working with these guys all through training they are assigned, kind of, to the crew when the crew is assigned, and they show up at all the training events where they’re suited and kind of go through the whole choreography every single time, make sure the suits are fitting just right Mike Good coming into view in the MS 2 seat, and Chris Cassidy will start working on him here shortly yes with the exception of the commander and pilot and MS2, most of the guys are up and moving around very quickly and actually the guys down in the mid-deck will be getting out of the A-suits (Ascent suits), pretty quickly after getting an eight-and-a-half minute ride to orbit you can see the hatch there with Atlantis written down the side SRO? SRO is go, you have range clear to launch...m and CDR? (CDR is Commander) (CDR) Atlantis is Go and NTD Launch Director you’re clear to launch Atlantis Copy that Launch Director Go for Orbiter Access Arm retract.
Atlantis crew, our team has worked hard and it’s with great pride that we send the first Last Crew on Atlantis to the International Space Station with the mini research module to be installed t-minus two minutes and counting. Atlantis, close and lock your visors and initiate O2 OTC, that is in work the ground launch sequencer will hand off to Atlantis onboard flight computer, 15 seconds from now firing chain is armed, sound suppression water system activated t-minus 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, go for main engine start, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 lift off, of space shuttle Atlantis Houston, Atlantis is in the roll roger roll Atlantis Houston is now controlling Atlantis is in a heads down position, on course for a 51.6 degree 136 by 36 statute mile orbit you can hear the roar!
The three main engines on Atlantis have now been throttled down to 72% of rated thrust As the orbiter prepares to pass through the area of maximum dynamic pressure on the vehicle in the lower atmosphere
there you get the arc (as the vehicle builds lateral speed) engines now beginning to throttle back up Atlantis, you are GO at throttle up Copy, GO at throttle up all three engines looking really good back at full throttle now at liftoff, the fully fueled shuttle, boosters and external tank weighed four and a half million pounds, has now burned half of that lift-off weight in propellant Atlantis is already 19 miles in altitude, downrange from the Kennedy Space Center 20 miles, traveling 2,500 miles per hour coming up on staging the point at which the twin solid rocket boosters burn out and separate from the orbiter booster separation confirmed the onboard guidance system has done its job of settling out any of the dispersions that have been introduced at the booster separation Atlantis is traveling 3,700 miles per hour, at an altitude of 47 miles this view from a camera on the external tank looking down the length of the orbiter you can still see that little dot, wow!
Still there, that is wild you can still, if you know where to look you can still see that dot going. Atlantis, you are single-engine OPS 3 Copy, Single Engine OPS 3. That roll the heads-up provides a good satellite communications link to with Atlantis continuing its travel into space you are press to MECO and single-engine Zaragoza 104. Copy, press to MECO and single engine Zaragoza 104. Scorch, I got the roll!
Atlantis copies, nominal shutdown, go for the plus x, go for the pitch. Atlantis is now travelling 13,000 miles per hour 580 miles away from the Kennedy Space Center at an altitude of 340,000 feet Atlantis can reach orbit on one engine now, should two fail, however all three are still in good shape. Atlantis is traveling 15,500 miles per hour approaching eight minutes into the flight, downrange 740 miles at an altitude of 64 miles plasma? oh! are they burning out, MECO?
main engine cutoff confirmed, standing by for separation from the external fuel tank There they go!
they’re separating Atlantis now flying away from the external tank, after separation plus x burn maneuver being performed by a Commander Ken Ham nominal MECO, OMS 1 not required, preliminary OMS 2 TIG will be 37:30 Wow! look at that!
Welcome back to space for you, and your veteran crew Copy, 37:30 it’s good to be back Scorch, as you know, and OMS 1 is not required!
As is typical with all Space Shuttle missions, the crew rapidly gets out their handheld camera and takes them still and motion video of the external tank as it drifts away from the shuttle this gives the ground teams an idea of exactly how the foam on the external tank faired, to make sure that all of it stayed in its proper position if you look down, with these binoculars, at one spot on the ground We are going absolutely ludicrous speed ludicrous speed! we have achieved ludicrous speed Distortion speed, if you were down there in an airplane you would be a cinder!
This is ridiculous how fast were going!
You can see some of the cryogenics from inside that tank still venting as the tank separated from space shuttle Atlantis that tank also has what are known as tumble jets installed on it, that enable the tank to basically flip end over end, to ensure that it actually breaks up as expected as it goes back down into the Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrates and wow, what a ride, I was really digging, like, no master cautions that was a cool thing yeah... not a one, nothing! We appreciate all the folks working the ball bearings down in that MCC and LCC get us off the pad!
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