When I lived in Florida, both central and south, I was able to see the launches at the Cape, especially when the big shuttles went up. I stopped and watched every time I had the chance. The space nerd kid in me never grew up.

Here’s terrific video footage taken from cameras mounted on the solid boosters that lifted the shuttles into orbit. You ride up with the shuttle and then back down to earth when the boosters are jettisoned.

The footage is a combination of two different shuttle launches, edited together to create a seamless bit of video magic – but the footage is all real.

The best part of the video is the sound — turn it up, especially the spooky sounds on the way back down. The sound is enhanced so you can hear it better, but it’s actual sound recorded from the launches. And no, there’s no sound in space, but you can still hear at the top of the arc because the boosters don’t leave the atmosphere completely.