Atlas V Launch Failure ?

a reply to: intrptr
Yes, this is exactly what I saw and filmed. Pretty much what my thoughts were too as they were commenting.

originally posted by: Cherryontop
a reply to: intrptr
Yes, this is exactly what I saw and filmed. Pretty much what my thoughts were too as they were commenting.

In those comments they thought the rocket was 'falling back to earth'? An Illusion, looks like its going down as it disappears over the horizon.

They also remarked that 'pieces were coming off'? Those are the smaller booster engines strapped to the side as they each fall away.

All that means things are working up to that point.

a reply to: ngchunter

Thanks for the explanation.
Living with this program in my backyard, literally, I've watched a lot of launches and this one was nothing like the ones I've seen before. a reply to: intrptr

a reply to: Cherryontop

The timing has to be just right for it to look like that, it looked like it did because the launch occurred shortly before dawn. I saw a shuttle launch that looked almost just like that back in the day.

On another note can we please get the title changed or moved to the hoax forum? It wasn't a failure...

It's the expanding rocket exhaust (and the condensation that forms from it) being lit up by the Sun.

I've seen something like that in a video of a Russian launch:

Launch of the Soyuz 2 rocket carrying Glonass-K satellite (February 2011)

www.youtube.com...

If the launch happen in the early hours of the morning, while the Sun hasn't risen yet but is already illuminating upper layers of the atmosphere, you'll get this beautiful effect. www.theverge.com...

Yes I'd like to be able to edit the title but can't now. If a mod would like to fix it to something like Atlas V stunning launch display or something that'd be nice. And yes it looked just like the vids posted. What an amazing sight at 6:15am with sleep still in my eyes. Also I didn't know about the launch until after I had seen it. Later on it left some nice color in the exhaust as the sun finally got above the horizon. Thanks for sorting the how's and why's guys. I've been stuck at work and just now got a lunch break.

This was my view however I watched it for about a min or two before this clip. The first attempt to record it was too dark to catch. I noticed it about the time it was pulling away from me hence the appearance it was coming down.

a reply to: RickyD

As others have stated the launch was successful. It was not a usual trajectory and there was a lot of water vapor in the air. I too thought it was exploding but no boom.
You never really know what you'll see with a night/early morning launch.

I'm not the uploader, but the uploader reacts pretty much how I would

Today's Astronomy Picture Of The Day is a long-exposure photo of this Atlas V launch, from its fiery start to the ghostly plume that captured so much attention: apod.nasa.gov...

Early morning risers along Florida's Space Coast, planet Earth, were treated to a launch spectacle on September 2nd. Before dawn an Atlas V rocket rose into still dark skies carrying a US Navy communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station into Earth orbit. This minutes long exposure follows the rocket's arc climbing eastward over the Atlantic. As the rocket rises above Earth's shadow, its fiery trail becomes an eerie, noctilucent exhaust plume glinting in sunlight. Of course, the short, bright startrail just above the cloud bank is Venus rising, now appearing in planet Earth's skies as the brilliant morning star.

As others have mentioned, the apparent downward trajectory is simply horizontal velocity that follows the curvature of the Earth, resulting in an orbit.

Maybe this Atlas V was a filed launch. But was STS-75 tethered satellite demonstration flight, sabotaged in order to discredit the mars mission proposals by Doc. Robert Zubrin?

originally posted by: RickyD
I guess so...I've lived here for about 3 years now and never saw anything like I did this morning....this thing was huge in the sky. Like bigger than any fireball videos I've seen. Kinda reminded me about the vortex over Norway sized anomaly. If this is how it looks when it comes down that's pretty freaking cool.

Some time it is how light reflected off the gasses that give different perspectives on these launches.