Until the recent resurgence of the space race, rocket launches had become so common-place few of us really paid attention to them. But now that a handful of private companies and three or four space agencies are once again pushing the limits of space exploration, interest in the subject is on a rebound.
And why shouldn’t it be, since thanks to modern technologies we’re able to experience a rocket launch in ways never before possible? How could we not be amazed at the photos sent back from the International Space Station (ISS) by the astronauts and cosmonauts living there?
Take this video from instance, shared on YouTube by the European Space Agency (ESA). It shows the launch of the Progress MS-10 cargo spacecraft on November 16 from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. But it does not show the launch from ground level.
Aboard the ISS, German astronaut Alexander Gerst was quick enough to grab a camera and record the ascent of the Progress from over 408 km above ground level.
Sitting in the European-built Cupola module, Gerst used a camera set to take pictures at regular intervals. Those photos are played in this video one after another at 8 to 16 times normal speed, compressing 15 minutes of actual flight time in nearly a minute and a half of pure visual joy.
Since we’re used to seeing things come back down to Earth, watching the Progress shoot up like an incandescent bullet as the ISS spins around the Earth at an incredible speed is pure wonder.
So pure that we had to watch this clip several times before noticing a major explosion way up in Earth’s atmosphere, probably caused by the core stage of the rocket burning in the atmosphere. That happens about 38 seconds into the clip.
There are several other exciting things to be seen in Gerst’s video, including the strange blinking streak of red lights seen near a city at second 59.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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