This is probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Video footage from cameras ATTACHED TO THE SHUTTLE DURING LAUNCH. The cameras are attached to the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) which then fall back to earth.
I found the link in a post of the CrystalTech forums (they host this website) which sent me to the Bad Astronomy Blog with this article on “Awesome Shuttle launch videos!“. In the comments are some good tips on the timelines of different videos (when the booster seperates, hits the water, etc.). The blog points to the NASA website here which has a link to several of the cameras in either Windows Media or Quicktime format.
Direct links to the videos are here:
- Right forward SRB camera
- Right aft SRB camera
- Left aft SRB camera
- Left forward SRB camera
- Separation composite view (All four cameras above shown at the same time. Really cool view)