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.
Recent Posts
Starlink on Mars? NASA Is Paying SpaceX to Look Into the Idea
NASA has given the go-ahead for SpaceX to work out a plan to adapt its…
Did You Hear Webb Found Life on an Exoplanet? Not so Fast…
The JWST is astronomers' best tool for probing exoplanet atmospheres. Its capable instruments can dissect…
Vera Rubin’s Primary Mirror Gets its First Reflective Coating
First light for the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) is quickly approaching and the telescope is…
Two Stars in a Binary System are Very Different. It's Because There Used to be Three
A beautiful nebula in the southern hemisphere with a binary star at it's center seems…
The Highest Observatory in the World Comes Online
The history of astronomy and observatories is full of stories about astronomers going higher and…
Is the JWST Now an Interplanetary Meteorologist?
The JWST keeps one-upping itself. In the telescope's latest act of outdoing itself, it examined…