Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Atlantis to Orbit

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 12, 2004 is “Atlantis to Orbit,” an image. It is credited to Credit: NASA. The original explanation runs about 127 words.

Atlantis to Orbit
Credit: NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Birds don’t fly this high. Airplanes don’t go this fast.”

— APOD editors, December 12, 2004

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 12, 2004
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 127 words

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On this day: December 12 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.