Liftoff With the Space Shuttle

What would it look like to see a Space Shuttle liftoff from just above the shuttle? Because the answer has value in assessing spacecraft performance, NASA attached a small RocketCam to the side of the External Tank on the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis earlier this month. The above five-frame movie, excerpted from a longer video sequence , shows in dramatic fashion what it looks like to ride into space while looking back at the Earth . In the final frame, taken about 15 minutes after liftoff , the shuttle can be seen separating from the External Tank and proceeding to orbit .