Amazing Video: Atlas V Rocket Launch Sonic Boom

Somebody recently posted a pretty incredible video on Youtube of an Atlas V launch where the rocket goes supersonic as it passes through a layer of ice crystals.

This makes the resulting shock waves of the sonic boom visible and...well...totally rad and trippy and worth a look (or three):

note - the fun starts around 1:52

Update: here's a shorter, slo-mo version for anyone who wants less Star Wars, more Sonic Boom

Very cool, thank you.

Here's a few more

www.youtube.com...

They automatically advance to the next clip.

Amazing to get perfect weather conditions for the ripple effect,its really doing that the whole way up I think,but we just do not see it due to the conditions in the atmosphere.

PROPER Sci Fi looking isn't it-Or Sci Reality I suppose.

Here are some stills of the waves,for anyone who can't view youtube:







www.dailymail.co.uk...


I wish I had been there in that crowd of people...hear them all go "Woooow,AHhhhhh"

They won't forget that awesome moment ever.
Lucky folks.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


Yeah I definitely wish I could've been there too, even just hearing the collective "ooooooh" through the youtube video sends a bit of a chill up the spine.

I think that ripple effect is a direct result of the sonic boom - if you look really carefully you can see the shock collar/vapor cone form around the top of the rocket just as the waves begin to emanate.

That dailymail link also features another great video with different angles as well - apparently NASA had 15+ cameras rolling and only one caught the big show.



Definitely seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime case of being at the right place at the right time for those people watching live

reply to post by mc_squared


That 'somebody' was me.

Thanks for the acknowledgement.

Not.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 20-2-2010 by Jinni]

reply to post by Jinni


Ummm...yeah, ok - in that case thanks for noticing the difference between a Youtube poster and an ATS poster, or the fact that "18-2-2010" comes before "February 19, 2010"


(Not & Not)



edit to add: especially ironic for someone who puts the words "Assumptions are the mother and father of all failures" in their signature.


[edit on 26-2-2010 by mc_squared]