NASA's Latest Rocket Launch Looks Breathtaking From A Distance

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) has started its journey to the moon, according to NASA. Once in lunar orbit, the spacecraft will send back information about the moon's surface and atmosphere. Here's a beautiful photo from the launch, taken on Sept. 6. at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia. - Dina Spector

Atlantis at sunset in 2001

By Patrick McCracken
Shuttle Launch at Sunset (Atlantis, February 7th, 2001, STS-98). The sun has set just behind the camera, so only the upper part of the plume is in the glare of the sun. It casts a shadow through the Earth's atmosphere that seems to stretch towards the moon, which is nearly full and thus almost exactly opposite the sun in the sky. The Earth's shadow is also visible, as a dark band of sky below the Moon.

Shuttle Endeavour's launch 11/30/00

Postcard US-2509951 to Germany shows the view of Space Shuttle Endeavour's launch at Jupiter Lighthouse, 233 kilometers or 145 miles away from the Kennedy Space Center. 11/30/00 - JUPITER - Space shuttle Endeavour soars over the Jupiter Lighthouse Thursday night after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center. Original Photo Here

Atlas V Rocket Launch over Jupiter Lighthouse October 2015 Justin Kelefas HDRcustoms
 © Justin Kelefas 2015