This is a night launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128 on Friday August 28, 2009 at midnight on launch pad LC-39A. I shot this test HD video to capture the phenomenon when the Space Shuttle lifts off at night in pure dark, while making the entire city of Titusville, FL glow like it is sunrise.

I used my high definition Canon Vixia HF-10 on a tripod, filming through 6 miles of humidity on the NASA Causeway inside the Kennedy Space Center. This is the closest that non-NASA related are humans are allowed to the launch pad.

This video is not meant to track the shuttle through the sky, but rather to just show the change of lighting at the launch pad and for miles around. The launch of Discovery STS-128 took place at midnight, but the brightness looks as though it’s at sunrise for several seconds.

At 2:40 into the video you can hear the rumble from the liftoff arrive, and crowd screaming sounds like they are riding on a roller coaster.

I have setup a very detailed tutorial for you on how to photograph a NASA Space Shuttle Launch day time or night, and strategies on finding the best viewing locations to watch a shuttle launch. It’s here on my web site:

LauderdaleChristmas.com/nasa-shuttle-launch.htm