Delta 3916 Launch (05/03/1986)

You are probably thinking what a crappy photo this is. I mean what even is that?

This photo was taken on May 3rd, 1986 with a camera that used disc film. This was a film cartridge in the shape of a disc that was relatively cheap compared to other formats at the time (mainly 35mm). Unfortunately, it was a case of getting what you paid for. Quality was pretty lousy.

Anyway, this photo was taken at some hotel on Cocoa Beach and is notable because it shows the launch of a rocket that exploded a few seconds later. This was also the first launch of any kind after the Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded nearly a year and a half earlier. Why no photo of the explosion itself? I don't know...maybe too high for this camera so it would have been an even lousier photo (I mean even in this one the con-trails are more visible than the rocket launch). Maybe it was the last shot on the disc. But it was one of my parents taking the photo so I would have to ask them.

The rocket was the Delta 3914. A relatively obscure rocket it seems to me. It was carrying a weather satellite in this case. Apparently there were only 12 launches of this model rocket between 1975 and 1986 and only 10 out of the 12 were successful. Not a particularly great record. This was in fact that last launch of the Delta 3916. The first stage was a modified Thor intermediate range ballistic missile and had 9 strap-on solid-fuel rockets.

You can see a video of this launch (and failure) here: https://www.facebook.com/NASASpaceflight/videos/goes-g-launch-failure/3108539532609258/