I’m finally getting around to dealing with my photos from our trip to Florida earlier this year. As it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go to a shuttle launch as invited guests of an astronaut, we couldn’t say no. Of course, in hindsight, I wish I had taken more video when we were there. I did get a few seconds speaking with Daniel five minutes before the 2:01 pm launch.

I was so excited at lift-off that I never did get my camera going. Fortunately, NASA takes great footage and makes it available in HD on Youtube.  Although I knew it would be memorable, the brightness of the flame was brighter than I imagined.

I was glued to NASA TV yesterday to watch all of the news and updates on the new images from the repaired Hubble. In this long clip, you hear stories of the history of Hubble and the champion of Hubble, Senator Barbara Mikulski, from Maryland , affectionately known as the ‘godmother of Hubble.’

About 20 minutes into the clip, you will see the new images. They are simply stunning. Following that is a presentation by scientists and astronomers and astrophysicists who explain the significance of the images and the data they are collecting.

Bravo to Drew and the rest of the Atlantis crew!