When the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on June 8th, 2011 it marked the end of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. The video above harkens back to that not-so-long-ago era of space shuttles, and gives us an incredible view of a shuttle launch the likes of which we've not had the opportunity to share before.
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.
During a 2001 launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, NASA photographer Pat McCracken captured this amazing photograph of the …
Who says you need a heavy and expensive lens to capture a beautiful shuttle launch photograph from far away? …