Shuttle Atlantis STS-132 - Amazing Shuttle Launch Experience
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Published 2013-09-18
I was privileged to travel to the Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of Atlantis on what was then the "final scheduled" flight of the orbiter (STS-132). This video is my homage to the shuttle program through the in-depth experience of a single orbiter launch. I believe we should be thankful for the Atlantis orbiter, all her astronauts, the countless NASA staff who made her fly, and the American people who created a space vehicle of extraordinary power and grace.
This footage incorporates numerous camera views from the ground, the footage I took during launch, and video and audio from NASA showing the orbiter stack itself during takeoff and flight. I hope you enjoy the experience of launch preparation and the resulting eight-and-a-half-minute exhilarating ride into space.
In places, the timeline of the actual events has been extended to allow viewing of several different viewpoints of the same moment. This creative decision aims to bask in the experience from many angles and celebrate the amazing feat of launching a spacecraft into orbit.
I hope you enjoy the ride!
MORE BACKGROUND
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After this flight, Atlantis was processed and prepared to fly one last time... this time as "on-call" STS-335, which would remain flight-ready, should either of the remaining two orbiters' flights require a rescue mission. Thankfully, such a rescue flight was not needed and Congress appropriated funds to extend the program to allow the "flight ready" Atlantis to launch one last time, becoming the last 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 the launch was in 2012, rather than the correct year of 2010.
MUSIC TRACKS (In order of appearance)
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1) Band Of Brothers Suite Two, Band Of Brothers, (Michael Kamen)
2) Rise, The Space Between Us, (Craig Armstrong)
3) After The Storm, The Space Between Us, (Craig Armstrong)
4) After Antietam, Glory Soundtrack, (James Horner)
5) Now We Are Free (Juba's Mix), Gladiator: More Music From The Motion Picture, (Hanz Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard)
6) Hymn, The Space Between Us, (Craig Armstrong)
All Comments (20)
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2024 anyone 😂
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Only for this. It is a great memory. When i watch it, i think, it is a loving Tribute to the 1986 Challenger crew. I love every single second of this video. All the people in this video made this crazy world a little bit better. Thank you very much for sharing. I love the 🇺🇸 USA Greetings from germany
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"We have achieved ludicrous speed." The best line of the entire video. This is easily the best space shuttle video ever created. I loved all the different camera angles.
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The most complicated machine man has ever made. Designed with 1970’s technology. Truly amazing to have witnessed 5 launches as a child including challenger.
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2020 who is watching this on quarantine loves the shuttle and is a legend 😂😭😭👍
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Even though I am not an American, I feel proud with the advancement in technology ,prowess & sheer will Americans have displayed.
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It doesn't matter how much time I watch these videos, but it still blows my mind how much thrust the produce,so Frecaking powerful.
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If anyone ever gets the chance to see the Atlantis shuttle experience at Kennedy then go. You are told all about her and her history and then the curtain goes up and she is hanging there right in front of you. It truly is a very emotional and breathtaking experience to see her suspended above you up close. The most awesome machine the world has ever produced. An icon of our time.
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The most amazing and beautiful machine ever built. We should be doing things like this instead of fighting each other.
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Atlantis has always been my favorite and I'm glad she got to stay home at KSC. My dad worked the shuttle program and now works Artemis. My 5th birthday I got to spend the day with astronauts while my dad was awarded with a Silver Snoopy. It's such an honor to have my whole family be a part of the space Industry. While I no longer work for there myself, I'm grateful for the opportunity!
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It has been 10 years (1 decade) congratulations for this video a lot
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I consistently keep up with space missions all the way from Brazil, and out of all the incredible events, the rocket launches stand out as the most awe-inspiring. My heartfelt congratulations to NASA and all the individuals who contributed to this outstanding achievement. Your hard work is truly commendable! 🚀🌌
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I was on a plane back from The Republic of Georgia, after doing a joint exercise with their military in 2011 and saw the last shuttle launch of the NASA program from the aircraft. STS-135. It just so happened to also be the Atlantis shuttle shooting through the sky. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, and, to this day, it still makes me think that I could've maybe been an astronaut instead of a Marine. Honestly though, I think I would've loved to do both if possible. Watching this video, even though not the same launch, made me tear up a lot. We were mostly sleeping, and the captain came on the intercom, quite loudly, and told everyone we were about to witness something that won't ever happen again. Told everyone to look left, out the portholes, and look at the lower cloud cover. Out of nowhere we saw a missile like object just flooring it through the clouds. It looked like it was a mere 10 miles away, but we were flying into Bangor Maine and were well over 1000 miles away. The plum from the boosters was massive and within 10 seconds the shuttle was gone into the upper atmosphere. After it disappeared the captain said that we had seen the last launch of NASA's space shuttle program and that's why were the luckiest people in the planet at that point in time.
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What an incredible country the US is...from the early Saturn V to the Space Shuttles....just the most spectacular awe inspiring feats of exploration. I hope they continue to wow people into awe for generations to come. Watching these videos with tears in my eyes at the boundary busting grandiose projects of exploration....huge affection from England to the US...YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!
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Still remember it when I was at kindergarten and buy a space shuttle toys, and when I was at 6th grade, I know that the moment Atlantis' last mission lands were after my birthday😢 Keep happy guys, and rest peacefully, Atlantis🥲
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Watching in December 2023 , I miss this era 😢
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I'll never get tired of watching those launches. And post number 12,000 here!!!
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I cried watching this. I was there at the launching. Imagine 100 billion human beings have roamed the earth, everything we have ever known in the history of mankind has been on earth, and I am part of the lucky few to witness human beings exploring outer space. What a special group of human beings who work at NASA and are able to have the intelligence to do such acts. USA is the greatest empire in all of mankind.
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What a huge Nation is USA. Besides I am Brazilian is in fact The United States of America the Nation I admires always.
