Photo and caption by Michelle Novak

After the second to last launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on April 5th, 2010 the rays of the sun, as it rose from the Atlantic, added watercolor strokes to the remnants of Discovery's contrail. I captured this image in my front yard after photographing the launch in another location. It reminds me of a Chinese Dragon in all of its glory and solidifies the fact that this is the most unique launch I have ever witnessed. With the shuttle fleet officially retiring when Atlantis returns to Earth in nine days, I'm even more thankful for the artistry of the manned space program.It will be missed.

Location: Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA