Posted on by David Gonzales

Bringing You There: Intense Sound of Delta IV Heavy Orion EFT-1 Launch

NASA’s first Orion spacecraft blasts off at 7:05 a.m. atop United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy Booster at Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Dec. 5, 2014. Launch pad remote camera view. Credit: Ken Kremer - kenkremer.com

Have you ever wondered what 51 million horsepower sounds like from 3 miles away? This past Friday, a Delta IV Heavy launched Orion spacecraft on the EFT-1 Test flight. The rocket weighed 1.6 million pounds at liftoff, produced close to 2 million pounds of thrust and consumed propellants at a rate of about 3 tons per second. Videographers David Gonzales and Kyle Johnson shot this film using 2 video cameras and a dedicated stereo high quality recorder to capture the ascent and thunder for Universe Today.

As the Delta IV Heavy ascended, the hydrogen and oxygen fuel combined to form water vapor which condensed into a cloud that evolved and took shape after liftoff.

Posted on by David Gonzales

Bringing You There: Final Shuttle Flyby Over Kennedy Space Center

This will never be seen again. Last week, the remaining Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (NASA 905) lofted a Space Shuttle into the sky for the final time. After taking off, NASA 905 and Endeavour made one final low pass over the Kennedy Space Center runway before making way towards the West coast. These 2 videos were shot for Universe Today and show these vivid moments up-close from alongside the runway.

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Posted on by David Gonzales

Bringing You There: Atlas V with Curiosity Rover Thunders to Mars

This past Saturday, an Atlas V carrying NASA’s MSL Curiosity Mars rover thundered off the launch pad on the way to Mars. Ever wondered what the rocket launch is like from the roof of the massive VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center? Videographer David Gonzales shot the launch for Universe Today using 3 different high definition cameras and recorded audio using a high definition audio device.

During ignition you can see white steam stream out the flame trench followed by the darker exhaust as the Solid Rocket Boosters come to life. The Atlas V lifts off on a pillar of bright orange fire leaving behind a white trail of smoke and an artificial cloud of condensed water droplets. Man-made thunder fills the air as Curiosity takes the first step on the journey to Mars.

Posted on by David Gonzales

Bringing You There: Atlantis Roars into Orbit One Final Time

Videographers David Gonzales, Kurt Johnson and Mike Deep filmed the final launch of the Space Shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site.  The team used multiple cameras along with a high definition stereo audio recording device to capture the sights and sounds as Atlantis thundered into orbit. The goal was to provide the closest launch experience for the viewer without actually being there.

A Space Shuttle launch is a spectacle that will never again be seen.  The sequence begins with a tight shot of the pad in the final seconds of the count.  As the 3 Space Shuttle Main Engines ignite they flash water from the sound suppression water system into steam, sending a plume billowing away.   The entire stack rocks a couple of feet before settling back vertical. The Solid Rocket boosters ignite, launching out a second plume and lifting the 4.5 million pound stack off the ground. Spectators erupt into cheers and the shutters of thousands of press cameras click away.

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