I see a lot of rocket launch photos. It becomes increasingly hard to find them unique. Once in a while, a special one like the above comes along that pleases even my jaded eye.

The Soyuz TMA-01M rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 carrying Expedition 25 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri of Russia, NASA Flight Engineer Scott J. Kelly and Russian Flight Engineer Oleg Skripochka to the International Space Station.

Courtesy NASA/Carla Cioffi