                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2023 August 3

                         The Falcon and the Redstone
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Matt Haskell

   Explanation: In a photo from the early hours of July 29 (UTC), a
   Redstone rocket and Mercury capsule are on display at Cape Canaveral
   Launch Complex 5. Beyond the Redstone, the 8 minute long exposure has
   captured the arcing launch streak of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The
   Falcon's heavy communications satellite payload, at a record setting 9
   metric tons, is bound for geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles above
   planet Earth. The historic launch of a Redstone rocket carried
   astronaut Alan Shepard on a suborbital spaceflight in May 1961 to an
   altitude of about 116 miles. Near the top of the frame, this Falcon
   rocket's two reusable side boosters separate and execute brief entry
   burns. They returned to land side by side at Canaveral's Landing Zone 1
   and 2 in the distance.

                        Tomorrow's picture: moonrays
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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