Athena II
 
T-Plus 30  
60" x 40" oil (1987)  
© Northrop Grumman  


The Space Shuttle Discovery completes its roll to heading and begins its pitchover maneuver about 30 seconds after liftoff from Pad B of Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39. Under nearly 7,000,000 pounds of thrust, 80 percent of which is produced by a pair of ATK’s Reusable Solid Rocket Motors and the remainder by three Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engines, the vehicle will accelerate to 3,000 miles per hour. After two minutes of flight the boosters burn out and separate from the launch vehicle..

Artist's Note: Caption reflects the Space Shuttle era timeframe. NASA retired the Space Shuttle in 2011 after 30 years of service.


It's actually T-Plus 23, but T-Plus 30 was decided on for the painting's title. Discovery is about 5,000 feet AGL, has completed 179 degrees of roll to heading and is pitched over about 20 degrees. The vehicle is gaining altitude at 500 feet per second while accelerating at 1.8g

  









 
Many of the Northrop Grumman paintings are available as high quality prints through Northrop Grumman. While not normally available to the general public, the prints are available to military units, aerospace organizations and industry representatives. Reproduced with permission of Northop Grumman. Unauthorized use of this image is strictly forbidden.