This is the first time I've seen the launch of a spacecraft. This spacecraft is a deep space probe that is testing technologies for future missions. If all goes well, it will also visit an asteroid and a couple of comets. I helped in the design of the transponder (radio) on DS1 that receives the data sent from Earth and sends data and pictures back. The launch took place at 8:08am EDT on 24 October 1998, from the Cape Canaveral Air Station on a Delta II rocket. By noon the following day, DS1 was already past the moon. I took this photo with my Olympus OM-3 using an Zuiko (Olympus) 180mm f/2.8 telephoto lens. The exposure was 1/1000sec at f/4. Photograph by Rick Scott.
Check out the prestigious NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day site for more astronomy pictures and the JPL site for more information on DS1 and other space missions.
Updated: 10 November 1998