What Happens When You Leave A Camera Too Close To A Rocket Launch
Professional-grade cameras can't be quite expensive. For example, Canon's EOS 5DS will set you back about $3,500. Which is why it's a shame that NASA photographer Bill Ingalls' 5DS got completely melted while shooting SpaceX's California launch on Tuesday:
"Well, one remote cam outside the pad perimeter was found to be a bit toast(y)…. and yes – it made pix until its demise," Ingalls wrote in a now-viral post on Facebook.
The camera's SD card, however, remained in tact. Here are a few of the last shots it took before the DSLR's insides got completely fried:
It wasn't the heat of SpaceX's Falcon 9 boosters that cooked the camera, Ingalls clarified in his post. As evident by the very cool rocket photo the remote-controlled camera managed to snap before its demise, it was stationed fairly fair from the Vandenberg Air Force Base launch pad. Instead, it was a brush fire caused by the launch that eventually roasted the photo gear.
The launch, by the way, was successful. And you can read more about it over at space.com.