SpaceX launched Falcon 9 early February 13, sending four astronauts on NASA’s Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 5:15 AM ET, with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard Crew Dragon capsule ‘Freedom.’

The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship still in service. Built in 1797, the heavy frigate was so well built that in battle, cannonballs bounced off her hull. That earned her the nickname “Old Ironsides.” Walking aboard the vessel was walking in history and an honor to do so.

Rocket Lab launched for the fourth time from US soil and for the first time this year earlier this morning when it sent the NROL-123 classified payload to orbit from Wallops Island, Virginia. Liftoff was at 3:25 AM EDT after the company’s engineers resolved a brief hold.

SpaceX launched another group of Starlink satellites for its Internet service constellation from pad SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Once its lifting duties were complete for the evening, Booster B1076 landed on SpaceX’s droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas on the Atlantic Ocean. This was 1076’s seventh flight; previously, it supported CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat 40e, as well as three Starlink missions. This mission was the eleventh consecutive night launch on the Eastern Range.

A lot of friends, family and people I have met on the Internet often ask me for advice on what sort of camera they should buy so they can take “good pictures.”

It’s a complicated question, and the best answer is to start by examining your goals as a photographer as well as the budget you’ll be working with. Someone who is going to travel a lot and take casual photos of their experiences along the way will have different needs than someone who wants to shoot wildlife or rocket launches. On the other hand, portrait photographers have different needs than serious landscape shooters. All of us have a certain amount of money we can devote to a camera, lens(es) and accessories like a good flash.

Some gear is better suited for video, while other cameras are best at stills. For example, I’d never take a GoPro to a fashion shoot, but I would wouldn’t take a medium format studio camera whitewater rafting either. Fortunately, there are cameras that do both things pretty well and these days there’s a lot of choices out there.

Professional photographers obviously have very different needs and standards than someone who’s a casual amateur or even a dedicated hobbyist. With that in mind, I think there are three classes of photography equipment: amateur, prosumer and professional, with costs going upwards with each step. This article is geared towards the amateur and lower-level prosumer.

I’m going to assume here that you want more than a pocket camera with roughly the same specs as a flagship cellphone — they take decent photos, but will never compare to the capabilities of a high-end DSLR or mirrorless camera no matter what the cellphone makers tell you.

Per Spaceflight Now: