An overview of the scene from Titusville: The water in the foreground is Indian River, which runs between the Florida mainland and Merritt Island; the floodlights in the background illuminate launch complex 39A; and the small light domes are various Kennedy Space Center facilities. The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) can be seen to the right of the launch pad.

STS-126 - Space Shuttle Endeavour
As seen from Titusville, FL (Distance to pad: 12 miles)
Launched November 14th, 2008

Select photos were featured on Spaceweather.com.

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mikedeep > An overview of the scene from Titusville: The water in the foreground is Indian River, which runs between the Florida mainland and Merritt Island; the floodlights in the background illuminate launch complex 39A; and the small light domes are various Kennedy Space Center facilities. The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) can be seen to the right of the launch pad.

mikedeep > Close on the launch pad's xenon floodlights. The water tower used in the Sound Suppression Water System (SSWS) can be seen just left of the launch pad.

mikedeep > Another wide overview of the scene.

$mikedeep > In an uncommon sight, a pair of moon dogs flank the moon shortly before launch. The high cirrus clouds seen here are responsible for refracting moonlight to produce this phenomenon.$

mikedeep > Endeavour lifts off, lighting the night sky and dwarfing the moon in brightness.

mikedeep > Endeavour approaches the cirrus cloud layer, which reflects the shuttle's flame as a short light pillar.

mikedeep > The shuttle ascends through the clouds.

mikedeep > With the shuttle gaining downrange distance, a shadow in the moonlight appears behind the launch plume.

mikedeep > Just minutes after liftoff, Endeavour appears as only a fast-moving dot in the sky.

mikedeep > Four minutes after launch, Endeavour can be seen as the thin streak to the left of the launch plume. The shuttle is now over 100 miles downrange and has reached an altitude of over 300,000 feet.

mikedeep > The launch plume lingers and drifts slowly by the moon.

mikedeep > Roughly five minutes after the launch, the shuttle is over 200 miles downrange. Spectators along the coastline are beginning to pack up for the long drive home.

mikedeep > Shuttle launches create some of the largest traffic jams in Florida. It can take as long as six hours to drive from Titusville to Orlando, a distance of only 30 miles.

An overview of the scene from Titusville: The water in the foreground is Indian River, which runs between the Florida mainland and Merritt Island; the floodlights in the background illuminate launch complex 39A; and the small light domes are various Kennedy Space Center facilities. The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) can be seen to the right of the launch pad.