When Hurricane Katrina roared through the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29, devastating New Orleans, it shut down a major NASA facility, bringing the space agency's seemingly endless struggle to resume shuttle flights to a swift halt. The Michoud Assembly Facility, located about 15 miles east of the French Quarter, manufactures and repairs the space shuttle's giant external fuel tank-the same tank whose shedding insulation led to the destruction of Columbia in February 2003 and grounded the shuttle fleet last July.

(Left) RocketCam gave viewers 2 minutes of stunning footage before propellant smudged the view. No word when the camera will next be deployed. Ignition: Engines fire, 4.5-million- pound shuttle lifts off. 10 seconds: Already traveling at 120 mph, the shuttle clears the tower. 48 seconds: At 750 mph, 2 miles downrange, shuttle breaks sound barrier. 126 seconds: Just before SRB separation, 26 miles downrange, 2,800 mph.



The camera, mounted in pricey unit on cable tray near top of external tank (bottom left), is encased in foam-covered aerodynamic housing.

The cabin rumbles.
Lying on my back, legs up, I see the launch complex and coastline fall away. Ahead, darkness is approaching. Suddenly, Pop! We release our two solid rocket boosters. A few minutes later, we drop the external fuel tank. Then, at once, everything is smooth. We're in orbit.