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SpaceShipTwo Takes Amazing Selfies During Test Flight

Feast your eyes on in-flight views captured by cameras on the exterior of the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane and its WhiteKnightTwo mothership.
Image: SpaceShipTwo
A camera mounted on the WhiteKnightTwo carrier airplane shows SpaceShipTwo falling away just before its rocket firing on Friday over California's Mojave Desert.Virgin Galactic

These scenes may look like computer-generated spaceship shots for a summer sci-fi movie, but they're totally real photos taken during Friday's test flight of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane.

Cameras were mounted on the exterior of SpaceShipTwo as well as its carrier airplane, WhiteKnightTwo, to monitor the rocket engine's performance. And yes, to get some way-cool video, too. Check out the photos taken while SpaceShipTwo zoomed over California's Mojave Desert.

Image: SpaceShipTwo
WhiteKnightTwo's camera shows SpaceShipTwo's rocket engine lighting up.Virgin Galactic
Image: Engine blast
A camera mounted on one of SpaceShipTwo's tail booms shows the blast of the plane's hybrid rocket engine.Virgin Galactic
Image: Engine trail
A camera looking back over SpaceShipTwo's fuselage shows the rocket burn with a Mojave Desert vista in the background.Virgin Galactic