I still can’t believe this is the first up-close, high-definition video of NASA retrieving the space shuttle’s two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) form the Atlantic Ocean, and yet it is! The SRBs, in a word, are massive. And they float!
Obviously, right? How else would NASA retrieve these two huge towers of propulsion from the ocean once the space shuttle no longer needs them to achieve orbit around the Earth?
Once the boosters are retrieved by the two teams (Liberty Star and Freedom Star) and a gaggle of divers, they are sent to Utah to be refurbished and stored.
This particular pick-up was followed the final launch of Discovery on February 24. Listen for the loud “plunk-plunk” when the second boat gets set to begin the retrieval process. [NASA]