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NASA, PROBABLY — I feel all of us have seen many rocket launches in our time. Whether it be on YouTube, TV or maybe you've been lucky enough to see one person. The view is usually from a distance because, well, people don't want to die. But this video is up close and personal, and it's pretty incredible.
John Kraus posted this video on Twitter, and it's the best thing on the internet today.
VIDEO: Watch from less than 200 feet away as United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Medium rocket launches for the final time, delivering the U.S. Air Force’s second GPS III satellite to orbit.
— John Kraus 🚀 (@johnkrausphotos) August 22, 2019
Captured with @mevocamerapic.twitter.com/VlsyN1XWbR
"Watch from less than 200 feet away as United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Medium rocket launches for the final time," Kraus wrote on Twitter, "delivering the U.S. Air Force’s second GPS III satellite to orbit."
You know these engines are powerful, but having the perspective right next to them as they ignite, and then propel the rocket, is remarkable. You can almost feel that roar in your bones, and then watching the smoke and fire inch toward you and eventually envelope you is intimidating even though you're watching safely from your phone.
Finally, the smoke settles and dissipates and you see that blue sky once again, but the rocket is nowhere to be found, and you realize it's miles above you already on its way to orbit. It's really an awe-inspiring video as we witness human ingenuity at its finest.