KENNEDY SPACE CENTER-Shuttle Atlantis STS-132 - Jonathan Mickelson-Kennedy Space Center, May 14, 2010. I had the privilege of traveling to the Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of Atlantis, the "last" flight of the orbiter (STS-132) at that time. This video is my homage to the shuttle program through the in-depth experience of launching a single orbiter. I believe we should be grateful to the Atlantis orbiter, to all its astronauts, to the countless NASA personnel who flew it, and to the American people who created a spacecraft of extraordinary power and grace.
This image includes multiple footage from the ground, footage I took during launch, and video and audio from NASA showing the orbital stack itself during takeoff and flight.
I hope you enjoy the launch preparation experience and the resulting exciting eight and a half minutes of space travel. In places, the timeline of actual events has been expanded to allow viewing several different perspectives of the same moment. This creative decision aims to enjoy the experience in many ways and celebrate the incredible success of launching a spacecraft into orbit. Hope you enjoy the journey! MORE BACKGROUND After this flight, Atlantis was rendered one last time and prepared to fly...
This time as "on-call" STS-335, it would remain ready for flight should any of the two remaining orbiter flights require a rescue mission. Fortunately, such a rescue flight was not needed, and Congress set aside funds to expand the program to allow for one final launch of the "ready-to-fly" Atlantis, making it the final shuttle mission (STS-135) of the Shuttle Program. Atlantis now has a permanent home on display at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Errata: A video editing error at the end of the video states that the launch was in 2012 instead of the correct year 2010. MUSIC PIECES (In order of appearance)
1) Band Of Brothers Suite Two, Band Of Brothers, (Michael Kamen)
2) Ascension, The Space Between Us, (Craig Armstrong)
3) The Space Between Us, After the Storm, (Craig Armstrong)
4) After Antietam, Glory Soundtrack, (James Horner)
5) We Are Free Now (Juba's Mix), Gladiator: More Music From Motion Picture, (Hanz Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard)
6) Divine, The Space Between Us, (Craig Armstrong)
