Atlas Rocket Launch
by Dan Heim
Photographer Comments:
Optics: Canon EOS 20D, 55
mm (full zoom), full manual at f/18, t = 1.5 s, ISO 3200
Time Lapse: one frame per second
Date: September 20th, 2010, 9:03 MST
This was the 586th (?) launch of an Atlas rocket, reliable workhorse of our space program since the 50s. It was carrying a classified NRO (National Reconnaissance Agency) satellite, and launched from Vandenberg AFB, California. You can see that it appears to veer toward a northward polar trajectory, which of course provides whole-Earth surveillance. Curiously, polar launches from Vandenberg are supposed to be directed southward over the ocean for safety. Of course, this could have been some unusual trajectory toward the northwest, the projection of which would appear "northward." Haven't been able to find much online about this specific launch (Hey, it's NRO) so the mystery remains.
But it's still a nice video. First appearance is actually ignition of the second stage. The Atlas burns liquid fuel (LOX and RP-1) and uses no SRBs, so you don't get the spectacular exhaust plume of, say, a Delta or Minotaur or STS. But you do get a brilliant bluish flame. As the rocket accelerates, its image become increasingly smeared due to the fixed camera shutter setting. This was a tough shot, but from 500 miles away, I'm pleased with what I got.