Awesome Shot! STA Over the Launchpad

By Nancy Atkinson - February 8, 2010 at 4:34 AM UTC | Space Exploration
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During the early morning countdown for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour today, it was back and forth, yes and no, red and green, no and no-go. And all because of weather. As per standard procedure, an astronaut flies the Shuttle Training Aircraft to monitor weather conditions around the launchpad. Today it was especially important in helping make the decision if the weather was acceptable for launching the shuttle. Amazingly, photographer Romeo Durscher captured this beautiful shot as astronaut Chris Ferguson flew the STA right over launchpad 39A and shuttle Endeavour. Not only is the image gorgeous in its own right, but it also captures a pivotal moment in the launch countdown. The skies had just cleared of the low clouds that had been drifting in and out of the area all night, clearing the way for a spectacular night launch. This image and the memory of the fickle weather will stay with me always. New desktop! Get a larger version here.

Durscher is with the Solar Dynamics Observatory- Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument team, and is looking forward to the upcoming launch of SDO on February 10th.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com