Sometimes I look again at pictures taken some time ago. This one reminded me how much I look shooting the M9 at night, despite the conventional wisdom that it's no good in low light — although in these conditions I usually shoot it at ISO 640 rather than at higher ISOs.
I was in LA over the weekend for a job... just leaving LA Coliseum when the above was rolling around the corner, nearing its destination at the California Science Center next door. It's External Tank 94 from the Space Shuttle program. It and the Space Shuttle Endeavor will eventually be assembled into launch configuration, which IIRC, will be the only existing example of this configuration.
Yeah, apparently it's 66,000 lbs and NASA calls it a 'lightweight tank' because a 'super lightweight' successor model used at the end of the program allowed additional payload.
That area of LA seems pretty flat... but the same can't be said for areas of downtown and northwest where there are some decent hills. The above is the last photo I took in the span of about 5 minutes while a colleague who was also our group's driver, waited impatiently a block away to leave for his dinner appointment. Looking at this photo now, it amazes me that the truck driver was able to get the tank through that turn. If I wasn't forced to leave so quickly I would have stuck around longer to watch.
rscheffler wrote:
Yeah, apparently it's 66,000 lbs and NASA calls it a 'lightweight tank' because a 'super lightweight' successor model used at the end of the program allowed additional payload.
That area of LA seems pretty flat... but the same can't be said for areas of downtown and northwest where there are some decent hills. The above is the last photo I took in the span of about 5 minutes while a colleague who was also our group's driver, waited impatiently a block away to leave for his dinner appointment. Looking at this photo now, it amazes me that the truck driver was able to get the tank through that turn. If I wasn't forced to leave so quickly I would have stuck around longer to watch....Show more →
I live on the marina (when in LA) so it's pretty flat in my area. But I'm constantly driving around noticing how varied the elevation can be. I guess I especially take notice of the mountains in the background because Singapore has one hill and everything else is almost sea level.
BTW cool shot, that tank looks massive. I would have wanted to stay to see how it played out as well.
Since I'm rarely posting these days.. S-006 + 100S @ f/2 I think one of the last images I took before leaving LA for Singapore.
