Expendable Collection

Smoke envelops the Delta II rocket
Cape Canaveral, Florida - Smoke envelops the Delta II rocket with the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, aboard as it launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Cartoon, Krupps New Man-Throwing Howitzer, WW1
Cartoon, Surprises in Store for England, 1. Krupps New Man-Throwing Howitzer. An imaginary scene showing German soldiers standing inside shell casings, ready to be fired at the enemy

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
October 12, 2008 - The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft in flight after takeoff
October 12, 2008 - The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft in flight after takeoff

The Delta II first stage for the OSTM / Jason-2 spacecraft arrives
April 25, 2008 - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Delta II first stage for the OSTM/Jason-2 spacecraft arrives on Space Launch Complex 2

The mobile service tower approaches the Delta II rocket
March 27, 2008 - On Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mobile service tower (left) approaches the Delta II rocket that will carry the GLAST spacecraft

The second solid rocket motor is moved into place alongside the Delta II first stage
April 30, 2008 - On Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the second solid rocket motor, or SRM, is moved into place alongside the Delta II first stage

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft arrives at the launch pad
October 10, 2008 - The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft arrives at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, for launch on October 12, 2008

Soyuz Soviet rocket carrying a Progress transporter. Soyuz was an expendable carrier rocket that was used by the Soviet Union to launch spacecraft as part of the Soyuz programme

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Amidst the smoky haze of a historic launch, the Delta II rocket roars to life, its expendable first stage propelling the OSTM/Jason-2 spacecraft towards orbit. A century ago, the Krupps New Man-Throwing Howitzer brought new meaning to the term 'expendable' in the trenches of World War Today, the Delta II and Soyuz TMA-13, with their impressive launches from Kazakhstan and Baikonur Cosmodrome respectively, continue the legacy of the expendable, pushing humanity's exploration of the cosmos forward. The mobile service tower approaches, second solid rocket motors are moved into place, and the countdown begins anew. The journey continues.