The following launch images were taken using four different cameras set throughout the vicinity of Launch Pad 39A.
Two cameras were triggered by the sound of the main engines firing, one was triggered wirelessly and the other manually (handheld).
STS-117 will begin an eleven day mission to deliver and install a new solar panel array on the International Space Station.
WATCH EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OF THE LAUNCH HERE!
(TURN THE SOUND UP!)
Space Shuttle Atlantis sits on pad 39A awaiting the go ahead for its June 8th return to space
NASA Security's Marine Unit patrolling the shoreline near the pad
An armed NASA helicopter flies past the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) near the press site
The ATLANTIS crew is escorted to the launch pad in the "Astro Van" under heavily armed escort
A NASA/USAF Fire Engine clears the pad before launch
IGNITION!
(quack)
LIFT OFF!!
From the Press Site 3 miles away
The Solid Rocket Boosters can be seen separating from the external fuel tank 204 seconds
(or about 28 miles) downrange. At this point the shuttle is traveling at over 3,600 miles per hour.
It will ultimately reach a target speed of 17,500 miles per hour in orbit.
The illuminated launch pad hours after lift-off reflected in a nearby pond.
The VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) illuminated following another successful launch. To give you an idea of the size of this building,
each stripe in the American flag is the width of a lane on a highway.
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