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Credit & Copyright: NASA, Bill Ingalls
Explanation:
The sky looks dark in this scene from
the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
(MARS)
at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Captured on Wednesday, September 18,
an Orbital Sciences Corporation
Antares rocket is leaving
launch pad-0A with the Cygnus cargo
spacecraft aboard.
Though it looks like night, the photograph was
taken at 10:58am EDT, under bright,
clear morning skies, with a
digital camera modified to record
infrared
images.
The Sun itself is above and left of the picture frame, creating
strong glare and internal reflections in the camera lens at
near-infrared wavelengths.
In the false-color presentation, the vegetation and watery
reflections also take on an
otherworldly pallor.
Reaching orbit, the Cygnus spacecraft is
now on its way to a Sunday rendezvous with the
International Space Station.
The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms)
of cargo to the
Expedition 37 crew.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: launch
Publications with words: launch
See also: