A Rocket, a Space Station, and 30 Seconds of Sky

A Falcon 9 and Dragon blasted into the predawn sky on Tuesday, October 13, headed for low Earth orbit. In NASA's timelapse of the launch, the rocket is not the whole story — the destination wanders into the shot too, and the two motions make one frame look choreographed when it was really just timing and geography, writes the source, uncredited, no need to overdo it here. [THIS SENTENCE MUST BE REMOVED - see note] The launch came from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with Falcon and Dragon chasing the International Space Station. Almost eight seconds into the 30-second video, the bright streak of the ISS appears, heading “down” toward the horizon. One journey is beginning, the other is already under way, and for half a minute they cross the same patch of sky.