Doug Seibert

The Eagle has landed

Additional Details: STS-103 December 19, 1999

The image is an 8 Minute Time Exposure of the Shuttle Discovery on a mission to repair the HUBBLE Space Telescope..........
Kodak VC160.......f/16 The Eagle has landed 8 minutes....Pentax 67 w/55mm......cropped about 50% from the original neg.....
An all time favorite image of mine......Photographed from Orlando about 50 miles from the Kennedy Space Center........
The time exposure starts a few seconds into the launch......the flames from the Shuttle produce the brilliant light in the December night sky......About 30 seconds into the launch the colors change near the apex of the curve where the spent solid rocket boosters are dropped........
The Shuttle continues around the earth powered by the main engines.......The shape of the light trail is the Shuttle......now traveling about 18,000 MPH....... following the curvature of the earth............As the shutter closes the trail disappears just above the horizon as the Shuttle approaches the coast of Africa.
The image includes the dramatic reflection in Clear Lake, star trails, an eagle on a cypress tree branch and a boat traveling accross the lake.........

If you have any thoughts or comments to share about this work you can send e-mail to the author at:
dougseibert2001@yahoo.com

Thank you,
Doug Seibert
Orlando, Fl