Universe Today
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Universe Today photographer Alan Walters was on hand for Friday's spectacular and picture-perfect launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Enjoy a gallery of images, including this great shot of a Prandtl–Glauert singularity, or shock cone that formed around the rocket, which sometimes occurs when a sudden drop in air pressure occurs when rockets or aircraft are traveling at transonic speeds.
"This has really been a fantastic
day
," said an exuberant Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, speaking with reporters after the flight. "It's been one of the best days of my life. It's certainly been one of the greatest days for the people of SpaceX."
[caption id="attachment_65842" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="Falcon 9 launch on June 4, 2010. Credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today. "]
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[caption id="attachment_65843" align="aligncenter" width="512" caption="Falcon 9 launch on June 4, 2010. Credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today. "]
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[caption id="attachment_65844" align="aligncenter" width="477" caption="Falcon 9 launch on June 4, 2010. Credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today. "]
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[caption id="attachment_65845" align="aligncenter" width="567" caption="Falcon 9 launch on June 4, 2010. Credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today. "]
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[caption id="attachment_65924" align="aligncenter" width="406" caption="Falcon 9 launch on June 4, 2010. Credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today."]
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[caption id="attachment_65846" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Falcon 9 pre-launch on June 4, 2010. Credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today. "]
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