Passengers on a United Airlines flight watched the launch of a SpaceX spacecraft from the air (Nick Leimbach, Twitter)
Passengers on a United Airlines flight that made their way over the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida managed to spot an incredibly rare sight from afar: the SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher that lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, far below them.
The video, shared By NBC photojournalist Nick Laimbach shows the tiny white rocket gaining altitude at a breakneck pace, leaving behind a huge cloud of dust and vapor—all at just the right angle to put this incredible spectacle into perspective. "It's one of the coolest things I've ever seen." , Leimback wrote.
The flight took off from Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC at 12:25 and landed about 3.5 hours later in George Town in the Cayman Islands.
The flight path perfectly crossed NASA's Kennedy Space Center at exactly the right moment. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 2:20 p.m. local time, carrying an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft. It was designed to deliver supplies and equipment to the station International space.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is launched into the air (archive photo) (Photo: GettyImages)
Meet: "Moon Microscope"
The website Futurism reports that among the items of supply there is also a "lunar microscope", a tiny device designed to allow astronauts to collect blood samples and analyze them using a hand-held device.
The goal is to provide future astronauts with a tool to diagnose blood samples on the surface of the Moon or Mars.
Either way, it's obviously rare for commercial airline passengers to witness such an amazing sight.
However, given Laimbeck's profession, there is a good chance that the fact that he was on the plane - at the right time and in the right place - was not entirely coincidental.
tourism
news
Tags
rocket ship
flight
