Originally Posted By mrkthompsn This would be the COOLEST piggy-back ride ever. Watch the video from begining to end. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeKW4Qfl2Wk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...W4Qfl2Wk</a>
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Awesome! What were those ropey looking things in the last couple minutes?
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn The ropes from the parachute. These help with a soft landing in the Atlantic. It's amazing that this ride has existed for nearly 30 years.
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn Here's the ride of the fuel tank. On it's slide back down, you can look way back to the horizon and see the original launch plume. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtkyYO_p3c&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related</a>
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 That made me slightly seasick! But now I understand the ropes. Thanks.
Originally Posted By twirlnhurl I love that footage. It is one of the only good things to have come out of the Columbia tragedy. If I remember correctly, this was done to monitor the wings to make sure no foam caused damage to any of the tiles during liftoff.
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn It's surprising how quick the journey is. It's neat to look down the plume all the way to the Cape. From space I can look down and see the whole ride and think, "Hey, I swam at that beach, right there!"
