It’s a video that will make your head spin: Captured from the outside of an unmanned scientific rocket, the German Aerospace Center has released stunning new footage of a seven-minute trip into space and back.
The video was released Friday, about a month after the late June launch. What’s interesting about the event is not so much its mission, but the video itself. So far, there has been little footage of such expeditions into space, especially in HD quality.
The rocket, called Mapheus5, was launched in Sweden and was supposed to test the reaction of a variety of materials in weightlessness. Traveling with 6.5 times the speed of sound, the rocket reached space within seconds of its launch. Watching the video, you will notice that the rocket rapidly spins at first, but becomes stable once it reaches about 62 miles above earth. For six minutes, weightlessness sets in, which enables the scientists to conduct their experiments.
“The difference between spinning and stability is crucial in order to understand why scientific rockets are usually equipped with cameras. If a rocket doesn’t stop spinning, an unwanted gravity will be created within the flying object,” Ulrich Walter, a former astronaut and current professor for space technology, told The Washington Post.
Pretty much all nations with space programs use rockets as a cheaper alternative to pursuing research on the International Space Station. “Using rockets is a relatively easy way to experiment with a variety of objects under the conditions of weightlessness,” Walter said.
And judging by the German video, it’s not only a less costly — but also a beautiful — trip into space.
Rocket launch into space with an on-board camera attached – !!WARNING – please turn your speakers down slightly!!
Watch Rocket Fly into Space with On-board Camera
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