Ascent Movie/Image Sequence of
Space Shuttle Endeavour Ascent (STS-97)
November 30, 2000

The movies/images on this page were recorded during the ascent boost phase of Shuttle Endeavour (STS-97) with a Sony DCRTRV103 digital camcorder. The imagery was acquired near Seaford Virginia (37.12N -76.40W) or about 12 miles north of Norfolk Virginia on 30 November 2000.

An Estimation of Endeavour's Ascent Path

The above map is my estimation of Endeavour's ground track during the ascent phase. At the closest position Endeavour was viewed in southeast direction at an estimated 175-200 mi. (280-320 km) with an elevation of no more than 15 degrees above the horizon.

The time shown in the movie/images is Eastern Standard Time. The camcorder clock was later found to be 106 seconds ahead of UTC. The general sequence of views begins in the southeastern sky moving left to right, peaks in the eastern sky and decends in the northeastern sky.

The original recording was split into three segments because of difficulty in tracking the ascent at 15x magnification. Camera adjustment during filming produced short portions with no useful information. These segments were edited out.

All the movies/images on this page are Copyright 2000 James E. Byrd. All rights reserved.

Endeavour (STS-97) During Ascent

Endeavour STS-97 Ascent part 1 (4.3 Mbytes, 20 sec). This part features the first visual acquisition of the ascent phase. The camera was adjusted to a magnification of ~15x. Our son Thomas says "I cannot see it", he is referring to having difficulty tracking Endeavour with field glasses. The corrected beginning and ending time was 10:13:27 to 10:13:47 p.m. EST. This places the first visual sighting at 7 minutes 26 seconds after launch. This seems a bit longer than usual, but it may have been due to the heavier than average payload accelerating more slowly.

Endeavour (STS-97) Passing Star Sirius

Endeavour STS-97 Ascent part 2 (3.4 Mbytes, 15 sec). This segment is interesting because Shuttle Endeavour rapidly passes the bright star Sirius at 10:13:57 (corrected). The corrected beginning and ending time is 10:13:52 to 10:14:07 p.m. EST.

Endeavour (STS-97) MECO & ET Separation

Endeavour STS-97 Ascent part 3 (11.8 Mbytes, 60 sec). The last part interesting because of the main engine cutoff, the external tank separation and the interesting pattern of propulsion flickering associated with all these events. At the end of this segment Endeavour was no more than 8 degrees above the northeastern horizon. For a few seconds the camera is panned out to reference a street light near a home about 150 meters away (lower left) then reset back to 15x magnification. The corrected beginning and ending time is 10:14:18 to 10:15:18 p.m. EST. The very last flicker of light discernable from the main engines occurs at 10:15:17, or 9 minutes 16 seconds after launch. In that respect, this launch had a very long ascent burn.

Thomas' Teeth Chattering

Thomas' Teeth Chattering (3.5 Mbytes, 16 sec). My family was clowning around a bit in the cold air a few minutes before first observing Endeavour. The air temperature that evening was ~40F (5C) with a light wind. The colors appear washed-out because this part was recorded in the near IR mode (in almost total visible darkness). The hot-spot in the image is the concentrated reflection from the IR illuminator located on the camera. All the images of Endeavour (above) were recorded in the visible light mode to preserve color information, though this turned out to not be much of a factor in retrospect.

Seaford Observation Area

We chose a viewing location near the end of Bay Tree Beach Road. This location afforded a good viewing position from the southeast to the northeast with reasonably dark skies.

For future reference, for a 51.6 degree inclination launch the shuttle will generally transit the area off the Virginia Capes about 6-7 minutes after launch.

I hope you enjoyed this sequence of images captured from the mpeg video. It was my third opportunity to observe a shuttle ascent from southeastern Virginia. In any case, the camera does not capture the full beauty of the event. Your eyes and a good pair of field glasses are the very best way to view the ascent which reveals a stunning amount of detail.

James E. Byrd - December 5, 2000.