Ted Kinsman is a scientific photographer that specializes in creating images for books, magazines, and television. His particular areas of interest are in x-ray radiography, high-speed photography, Scanning electron microscopy, and time-lapse cinematography. His work has appeared in numerous books and magazines ranging from Discover Magazine to Forbes. Recently his work has appeared on Gray's Anatomy and CSI New York. In addition to running 
B.N. (Bobbie) Sullivan has a strong affinity for the sea and everything in it. She first learned to dive in 1970 and has since logged thousands of dives. A wish to document the marine life she encountered prompted her to learn underwater photography more than 20 years ago. More recently, she began to write about the marine life she has photographed. A research psychologist by profession, she approaches her subject matter with the mindset of a scientist, but targets her writing to a general readership in whom she hopes to foster an appreciation for the ocean and its inhabitants.
B Jefferson Bolender is Training Coordinator of the State of Arizona's
program for disability awareness and assistive technology. Through
her travels she always has a camera at hand to photograph everything
from people to technology and nature. As a teacher of elementary
education, special education and art, her interests include a wide
array of subject matter with an emphasis on documentation with an
artist's eye.
Steve Jurvetson enjoys rocketry and photography and especially the pursuit of both in the Black Rock Desert. Some action photos and video links can be found 
Alex Wild is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he works on the molecular phylogenetics of various groups of insects. He is also a part-time photographer whose images appear in such venues as Ranger Rick, Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, and even ScienceBlogs.
Ka-pow. Bing, Bam, Boom.
For launch shots, I shoot with timing priority at 1/3000 seconds or faster to catch the action. This helps freeze the shrapnel in sharp focus. Typically, I am tracking the rocket by hand with a 400mm zoom.
Rockets bursting in air... In this example, a home-brew motor mixed with 8 pounds of black powder hit a bit of a burp midair:
As the solid propellant motors rapidly rise to full pressure and sufficient heat to melt aluminum, a motor casing rupture can burst a rocket apart from within... leading to a shower of rocket confetti overhead. Or at the pad...
when catching the action in frame is a bit of an acquired reflex, as there is very little warning - just a puff of the igniter from the tail end, then BOOM
The big ones feel like a concussion grenade - like this P-size motor overpressure on the pad:
It twisted the launch rail into a chunk of metal and threw it through the air. But most amazingly of all, the white circle in the dust is the shock wave emanating out at the speed of sound.
And when Hollywood gets involved, you get the Big Bada Boom, as with this staged explosion of a V2-like rocket on the pad, orchestrated by The Discovery Channel...
We don't normally get to see that as we do not use liquid fuels.
Physical Science
Technology
Comments
The previous pics show that patience gets rewarded. Discovery Channel has no business staging a fireball like that. It mis-represents us and our rockets, reenactment bedammed. For that matter, I believe it mis-represents a V2 fire. The V2 burned Alcohol.
BTW--Is that van as close as it looks to the fire?
Ken
Posted by: Ken Kryszak | June 12, 2009 5:08 PM
Steve, that first photo is gorgious!
Posted by: Bill Cheswick | June 12, 2009 5:40 PM
thanks Bill. You were first to describe high power rocketry to me...
Ken: I have not seen this "Time Warp" video segment yet. I wonder how they will position this stunt. They "simulated" a testing failure of an A4 at Peenemunde.
Posted by: Jurvetson | June 13, 2009 6:26 PM
thanks Bill. You were first to describe high power rocketry to me...
Ken: I have not seen this "Time Warp" video segment yet. I wonder how they will position this stunt. They "simulated" a testing failure of an A4 at Peenemunde.
thanks...admin
Posted by: multi hile | May 11, 2010 3:44 PM
The previous pics show that patience gets rewarded. Discovery Channel has no business staging a fireball like that. It mis-represents us and our rockets, reenactment bedammed. For that matter, I believe it mis-represents a V2 fire. The V2 burned Alcohol.
BTW--Is that van as close as it looks to the fire?
Ken
Posted by: multihack 8.0 | June 8, 2010 2:57 AM
The previous pics show that patience gets rewarded. Discovery Channel has no business staging a fireball like that. It mis-represents us and our rockets, reenactment bedammed. For that matter, I believe it mis-represents a V2 fire. The V2 burned Alcohol.
BTW--Is that van as close as it looks to the fire?
Posted by: lida | July 5, 2010 4:06 AM