Here you can see the Atlas 5 in the VIF ( Vertical Intergration  Facility) when we setup.



The Atlas 5 which is 196 feet tall and weighs 953,000 pounds
 rolls out to the pad the day before launch.












This photo taken from about 12 miles away at Port Canaveral the night before launch.



 
The Press Site was moved to the Space Shuttle Press Site due to winds blowing a possible toxic cloud to the main Press Site.
Just before launch I caught this gator stocking a Great Blue Heron (right side)!



  Engine start command is at T- 2.7 seconds with a
Russian-made RD-180 main engine.



Liftoff was at 7:07am EST Dec. 17th, 2004 from Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad.














This photo taken from about 4 miles away.



The Atlas 5 climbs through a thick cloud cover.



After launch there was lots of debris including chucks 3-4" thick of asphalt scattered around!



Here photographer Gene Blevins/LA Daily News clears the chunks of asphalt
so we can drive the van  around the pad to pickup the remote cameras.



An empty pad!