spaceshuttle

Michael Zhang

A Photojournalist Looks Back on the Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster After 30 Years

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. On January 28th, 1986, the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger broke up 73 into its flight into space, killing the 7 astronauts on board.

Orlando Sentinel photojournalist Red Huber was covering the launch that day. In the 4-minute video above, Huber reflects on the event and shares what he remembers from shooting that fateful assignment.

DL Cade

Dan Winters Gives an Emotional Talk on Shooting the Final Space Shuttle Launches

In 2011, when the end of NASA's shuttle program was announced, photographer Dan Winters decided that he would photograph the final three launches and compile those images into a book.

That book, Last Launch, was released in 2012, and is well worth the $33 if would cost you to pick it up for yourself on Amazon. But, of course, sometimes the story behind the images is just as powerful than the images themselves, and Winters recently opened up about the entire experience on stage at WIRED by Design.

DL Cade

Two Spectacular Photographs of a Volcanic Eruption as Seen from Space by Endeavour

In September and October of 1994, the space shuttle Endeavour was orbiting 115 nautical miles above Earth while the Kliuchevskoi Volcano was spewing ash and dust into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. Not in any position to do anything about it, the astronauts aboard the space shuttle did the only thing they could do... they took pictures.

DL Cade

NASA’s Experiments with Digital Cameras in Capturing Shuttle Launches

Ever since June of 2011, NASA has had cause to retire the photographic equipment it used to capture shuttle launches because, well, they don't plan on launching any more shuttles. But before that decision was made, it looks like NASA was finally giving digital photographic equipment a chance to oust the analog cameras they had always used in the past.

DL Cade

Check Out How the Pros Used to Capture Space Shuttle Launches in the 1980s

The end of NASA's Space Shuttle program in 2011 meant the end for more than the shuttles themselves. One aspect of the program you may not have known about was the plethora of incredible photo and video equipment that was used during the program's heyday to capture each launch. At any given launch, about 138 professional still, video and TV cameras were pointing at the shuttle, and some of them were downright incredible.

DL Cade

Ten Years Later: The Impact of The Tragic Columbia Space Shuttle Photo

Two days ago marked the 10th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, in which 7 astronauts lost their lives during reentry as the rest of us watched horror-struck from the ground. The following day, newspapers the world over were announcing the tragic news, all of them using the same photo taken, not by a prolific AP photographer, but a cardiologist and his 6.3MP Canon D60.

Michael Zhang

Processing a Space Shuttle Endeavour Flyby Photo Using Lightroom

When Space Shuttle Endeavour was making low level flyovers of famous landmarks across the United States a couple of months ago, Adobe Lightroom Quality Engineer Ben Warde was able to photograph it flying by the Golden Gate Bridge. The 10-minute video above shows how Warde post-processed one of his best shots from that day using basic Lightroom adjustments. While the information may be basic for many of you, it should be helpful for people who are just starting out with programs like Lightroom, Adobe Camera Raw, or Aperture.

Michael Zhang

A Beautiful Time-Lapse of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s Journey Through LA

If you've been following the news over the past week, you probably know that the Space Shuttle Endeavour spent October 11-14 rolling through the streets of Los Angeles, going from the Los Angeles International Airport to its new home at the California Science Center. News crews and large camera-wielding crowds were constantly by the shuttle's side, documenting its progress.

For those of you who weren't lucky enough to personally witness the neat sight of the giant shuttle moving through the city, check out the beautifully-made time-lapse video above that shows the four-day journey in under three minutes.

Michael Zhang

Father and Son Recreate Space Shuttle Launch Photo 30 Years Later

Musician Chris Bray was 13-years-old when he and his father attended the first ever launch of NASA's Space Shuttle program on April 12th, 1981. His mother snapped a photograph of the two standing ready with binoculars and a Super 8 camera. Last Friday, Bray (now 44) and his father (now nearly 70) were also in attendance at the final launch of the Shuttle program, and decided to recreate the photo they had taken together 30 years earlier.

Michael Zhang

HDR Photo of Endeavour Liftoff by NASA

Here's a good example of when HDR photography is useful: NASA created this image of the Space Shuttle Endeavour lifting off for the final time by combining six separate photographs.

Each image was taken at a different exposure setting, then composited to balance the brightness of the rocket engine output with the regular daylight levels at which the orbiter can be seen. The processing software digitally removes pure black or pure white pixels from one image and replaces them with the most detailed pixel option from the five other images. This technique can help visualize debris falling during a launch or support research involving intense light sources like rocket engines, plasma experiments and hypersonic vehicle engines. [#]