Oct 30 2009NASA's Ares Rocket Breaking Sound Barrier
This is a beautiful shot (super high-res version HERE) of NASA's Ares rocket taken earlier this week just as it broke the sound barrier. Pretty awesome, huh? Just imagine if you were sitting on top. WHEEEEE!!
What you're looking at is called a "shock egg," or the Prandtl-Glauert singularity, or a shockwave that compresses air and forces the vapor out of it. You see this kind of stuff a lot in photographs trailing behind fighter jets, but it's especially awesome when it happens to rockets. According to NASA, the shot was taken by one Scott Andrews, who used a Canon of some sort.
Hell yes, shock egg. Now tell me -- which do you think came first: the supersonic chicken or the shock egg? Trick question! Dinosaurs.
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Reader Comments
1. DOYOUTHINKESAURUSD - October 30, 2009 2:40 PM
Neato
2. noodle - October 30, 2009 2:41 PM
reminds me of the moonraker rocket. not from the bond movie, but from the book.
the movie was an Fing atrocity!
3. Dirty-Shizno - October 30, 2009 2:45 PM
do i...do i break the sound barrier to make it look like a penis?
4. Ryan Ward - October 30, 2009 2:46 PM
TOP 5! Also, looks like a phallus.
5. ciao - October 30, 2009 2:55 PM
reminds me of the 'unique" rocket. not from the Austin Powers movie, but without the peanuts. XD
6. topher - October 30, 2009 3:13 PM
That sound barrier is mad broken. Just like the sound barrier link on its page.
7. california has no money for eduaction! - October 30, 2009 3:18 PM
It would behoove us as a nation to disband the NASA program. What more do we really need to do on the moon? But you know... thankfully, our education systems are rotting to the core!
8. Ollie Williams - October 30, 2009 3:25 PM
@4
If your penis looks anything like that, you should go see a doctor.
9. JADE - October 30, 2009 3:37 PM
@8 LMAO was thinking the same thing. Don't get that freak of a penis near me.
10. The Man from Venus - October 30, 2009 3:44 PM
I have a rocket ship for a penis....
11. RETARD - October 30, 2009 4:38 PM
FIRST!!!!!!!
12. The Bush Whacker - October 30, 2009 4:48 PM
That's cool!
13. Daedalus - October 30, 2009 4:57 PM
Cool flying toilet brush!!!
14. ciao - October 30, 2009 5:15 PM
@13, that could be possible....oh wait I'm sensing an random ad attack!
'NEW AND IMPROVED!!! ROCKET BRUSH!"
"This toilet brush cleans with super rocket action that uses it's mighty powahs to break through sound barriers and the scum in your toilet bowel!"
Its only 2343 payments of $9.99!
15. Ham Bone - October 30, 2009 6:06 PM
something about a penis .... HAHAHAHAHA i did it again
16. runescape gold - October 30, 2009 10:36 PM
welcome to my site! thanks.
17. Canon inkjet cartridges - October 31, 2009 9:48 AM
Its really amazing.I am shocked how nasa engineers can built it.
18. docp - November 1, 2009 1:13 PM
Arse Rocket?