Lifting Off Collection

First US manned space flight, 1961. Redstone rocket launching the Freedom 7 capsule into space on 5th May 1961. This mission (Mercury-Redstone 3)

Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 5, 2010 - Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on the STS-131 mission

Launch of Vostok 1 spacecraft, 1961
Launch of Vostok 1 spacecraft. Close-up of the exhaust flames of the rocket launching Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) into orbit from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 12 April 1961

Space shuttle Atlantis twin solid rocket boosters ignite to propel the spacecraft
Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 14, 2010 - Space shuttle Atlantis twin solid rocket boosters ignite to propel the spacecraft off Kennedy Space Centers Launch Pad 39A and into orbit

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Kennedy Space Center
September 9, 2006 - The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew lift off from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

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

Kepler Mission rocket launch. Delta II 7925 rocket taking off to launch NASAs Kepler Mission. This mission is designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars

Snowy Egret Fishing In Florida

Launch of Vostok 1 spacecraft
Vostok 1 spacecraft. Launched from Earth (April 12, 1961) with the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, aboard. Still from a documentary shot in 1968

Picture No. 11993381
Swamp Harrier - Lifting off out of long grass where it had been eating a rabbit - Teal Valley - near Nelson - South Island - New Zealand. Date:

Picture No. 11993380
Swamp Harrier - Lifting off out of long grass where it had been eating a rabbit - Teal Valley - near Nelson - South Island - New Zealand. Date:

Atlas V launch vehicle, with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on top
August 12, 2005 - At 7:43 a.m. EDT an Atlas V launch vehicle, 19 stories tall, with a two-ton Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on top

A Delta IV rocket lfits off from its launch complex
June 27, 2009 - Rising above the two lightning towers around the pad, a Delta IV rocket races into the sky with the GOES-O satellite aboard

The launch of the Mercury-Atlas 4 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida
September 13, 1961 - View of the launch of the Mercury-Atlas 4 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida

View of the liftoff of Mercury-Atlas 5 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida
November 29, 1961 - View of the liftoff of Mercury-Atlas 5 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The rocket is carrying space chimpanzee Eno

Apollo 11 space vehicle taking off from Kennedy Space Center
July 16, 1969 - The huge, 363-feet tall Apollo 11 (Spacecraft 107/Lunar Module 5/Saturn 506) space vehicle is launched from Launch Complex 39, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off, framed by Florida foliage
May 31, 2008 - Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station

Launching of the Mercury-Redstone 3 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida
May 5, 1961 - Launching of the Mercury-Redstone 3 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida

Space Shuttle Atlantis sits ready on the launch pad
Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 18, 2009 a Space shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A is viewed across the lagoon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off from its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida
July 15, 2009 - The Banana River seems to burn as space shuttle Endeavours column of flame is reflected at liftoff on the STS-127 mission

Pre-launch test of the Mercury-Atlas 9
May 14, 1963 - Pre-launch test of the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA9) on Launch Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida
February 24, 2011 - Rising on twin columns of fire and creating rolling clouds of smoke and steam, space shuttle Discovery lifted off Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Space shuttle Atlantis rumbles the Space Coast as it lifts off from Kennedy Space
Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 14, 2010 - Space shuttle Atlantis rumbles the Space Coast as it lifts off from Kennedy Space Centers Launch Pad 39A into orbit

Apollo 6 spacecraft leaves a fiery trail in the sky after launch
April 4, 1968 - The five F-1 engines of the huge Apollo/Saturn V space vehicles first (S-IC) stage leave a gigantic trail of flame in the sky above the Kennedy Space Center seconds after liftoff

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

Space Shuttle Endeavour liftoff
November 14, 2008 - Space Shuttle Endeavour and its crew head toward Earth orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station

Launch view of the Gemini-Titan 3 mission, Cape Canaveral, Florida
March 23, 1965 - Launch view of the Gemini-Titan 3 mission, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Space Shuttle Atlantis on the launch pad
December 7, 2007 - The Space Shuttle Atlantis is seen on pad 39A as the sun sets at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Lift-off of Gemini-Titan 11, Cape Canaveral, Florida
September 12, 1966 - Lift-off of Gemini-Titan 11 on Complex 19 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Gemini 11 mission included a rendezvous with an Agena target vehicle

View of the Mercury-Atlas 3 liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida
April 25, 1961 - View of the Mercury-Atlas 3 liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida

An exhaust plume forms under the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39A as space
Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 14, 2010 - An exhaust plume forms under the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39A as space shuttle Atlantis lifts off into orbit

Space Shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A is accompanied by space shuttle Endeavour
April 17, 2009 - Space Shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A is accompanied by space shuttle Endeavour after Endeavours rollout to Launch Pad 39B

The launch of the Mercury Atlas unmanned test flight
February 24, 1961 - The launch of the Mercury Atlas (MA-2), an unmanned suborbital Mercury capsule test

An exhaust plume forms around the base of Launch Pad 39A as space shuttle Atlantis
Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 14, 2010 - An exhaust plume forms around the base of Launch Pad 39A as space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on the STS-132 mission

A Delta IV rocket roars into the sky with the GOES-O satellite aboard
June 27, 2009 - A Delta IV rocket lifts off into the sky with the GOES-O satellite aboard

Space Shuttle Discovery liftoff
Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, October 23, 2007 - The Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station

Atlas Agena target vehicle liftoff for Gemini 11, Cape Canaveral, Florida
September 12, 1966 - Atlas Agena target vehicle liftoff for Gemini 11 from Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Once the Agena was in orbit, Gemini 11 rendezvoused and docked with it

Space shuttle Endeavour lifts off into the night sky from Kennedy Space Center
Cape Canaveral, Florida, February 8, 2010 - An exhaust cloud builds at Launch Pad 39A as space shuttle Endeavour lifts off into the night sky from Kennedy Space Center

Fire and smoke signal the liftoff of the Atlas V / Centaur launch vehicle
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, June 18, 2009 - Fire and smoke signal the liftoff of the Atlas V/Centaur from Launch Complex 41

A Mars ascent vehicle starting a sample of Mars rocks on their trip to Earth
A crucial step in the Mars Sample Return mission would be to launch the collected sample away from the surface of Mars. This artists concept depicts a Mars ascent vehicle starting a sample of Mars

Space shuttle Atlantis lifting off from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center
Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 14, 2010 - Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-132 mission to the International Space Station

Space Shuttle Discovery in full launch configuration is revealed after the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) is rotated back at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Concept of a crew blasting off from the moons surface in a portion of a lunar lander
NASAs Constellation Program is getting to work on the new spacecraft that will return humans to the moon and blaze a trail to Mars and beyond

The H-IIB rocket on the launch pad at Tanegashima Space Center in Japan
September 2009 - The 184-foot-tall H-IIB rocket is seen at launch pad No. 2 at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, awaiting liftoff with the HTV cargo craft as its payload

The Gemini-Titan 4 spaceflight launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida
June 3, 1965 - The Gemini-Titan 4 spaceflight launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida

The Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft lifts off into a cloudless sky
April 8, 2008 - The Soyuz TMA-12 lifts off into a cloudless sky from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off into the sky
Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 11, 2009 a From Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis roars into the sky on a column of fire on the STS-125 mission to service

The Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
September 18, 2006 - The Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying a new crew to the International Space Station

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Lifting off into the unknown: A journey beyond Earth's boundaries" In 1961, history was made as the first US manned space flight took place, marking a monumental step in human exploration. The world watched in awe as the Vostok 1 spacecraft also launched that same year, propelling humanity further into the cosmos. Decades later, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Space Shuttle Discovery gracefully lifted off from Launch Pad 39A. Its powerful engines ignited and roared to life, pushing against gravity's grasp with an indomitable force. The sight of Atlantis ascending from the same launch site left spectators breathless; its twin solid rocket boosters propelled it towards new frontiers. As each mission embarked on their celestial journeys, plumes of smoke enveloped rockets like a shroud of anticipation. Such was the case during Kepler Mission's rocket launch when excitement filled the air and dreams reached for distant stars. Yet amidst these remarkable feats of engineering and ambition lies nature's own breathtaking displays. Picture No. 11993381 captures a Snowy Egret fishing in Florida - a graceful creature taking flight just as humans do when they venture beyond our planet's atmosphere. Similarly, Picture No. 11993380 showcases a Great Blue Heron soaring through wetland marshes near Point Pelee National Park in Canada – reminding us that even within our earthly realms there is beauty to be found. Whether it be astronauts defying gravity or birds navigating their natural habitats, "lifting off" symbolizes not only physical ascension but also an intangible spirit of exploration ingrained within us all. It represents our innate curiosity to push boundaries and seek answers among the stars while appreciating the wonders closer to home.