Shuttle Launch Pictures

So enough teasing. Here is the slideshow from beginning to end (I've cut out about 70 frames of shuttle smoke in the later stages). The first series is taken as fast as my camera can snap them continuously (about 2.5 frames per second). It was really incredible. I especially enjoyed the sound. We had talked about how we might be able to hear it but we didn't know how loud it would be. Once the shuttle took off, I completely forgot about hearing it. I was too focused on taking pictures and watching it. A little less than a minute after it started (when things have settled down and the shuttle was far enough away for us to relax somewhat), there came a low rumble. The rumble started to get louder and louder and as it did, everyone started cheering all along the road. It never got "cover your ears" loud, but it did get loud enough to be satisfying. You'd have to speak really loud for someone next to you to hear you. All in all, it was an incredible experience. And there are 3 more launches scheduled for this year. We all decided though that they should really do two at a time. Once it goes up, you know what to expect and you're ready for a second. They've got two launch pads, why not?