GOES-13 captures Space Shuttle Endeavour rocket plume and thermal signal
GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images
McIDAS images of 1-km resolution GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel data (above) showed the rocket launch plume of the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it ascended from a morning launch from Cape Canaveral on the east coast of Florida on 16 May 2011. The shadow of the rocket plume could also be seen on the patch of low-level clouds that was drifting over the region at launch time.
The hot thermal signature of the shuttle booster rockets could be seen on 4-km resolution GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR imagery (below). The GOES-13 satellite had been placed into Rapid Scan Operations (RSO) mode, providing imagery as frequently as every 5 minutes to monitor conditions leading up to the launch.
GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images