Sighting Opportunities
Sightings Help
Viewing
Them from the Ground
Depending on your location on the Earth's surface, the spacecraft's
position in orbit and the time of day, you may be able to see either
the space shuttle or the International Space Station, or both, as
they orbit about 386 kilometers (240 miles) above the planet. A
spacecraft will be seen as a steady white pinpoint of light moving
slowly across the sky.
For each shuttle
flight, the Flight Dynamics Officers in NASA's Mission Control Center
use sophisticated computer software to predict when and where the
shuttle will be visible to people on the ground. Now that station
assembly has begun, they also will predict where the space station
will be visible from the ground. For rendezvous and docking missions,
both will be visible at the same time once the two vehicles have
docked in orbit and only one listing will be necessary.
Interpreting
the Data
The text-based listing is in a column format, a sample of which
is shown below:
SATELLITE | LOCAL
DATE/TIME | DURATION
(MIN) | MAX
ELEV
(DEG) | APPROACH
(DEG-DIR) | DEPARTURE
(DEG-DIR) | ISS | Tue
Nov 14/06:22 AM | 4 | 66 | 10
above WSW | 31
above NE |
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The left column
is the satellite. The next column is the local date and the local
time. The third column gives the duration, or the length of time
in minutes the spacecraft is expected to be visible, assuming a
clear sky. The fourth column gives the maximum elevation the vehicle
will achieve above the horizon (90 degrees is directly overhead).
The fifth column tells the direction and elevation at which the
spacecraft will become visible initially. The sixth column gives
the direction and elevation at which the spacecraft will disappear
from view.
Viewing
Tips
For best results, observers should look in the direction and at
the elevation shown in the appearing column at the time listed.
Because of the speed of the orbiting vehicles, telescopes are not
practical. However, a good pair of field binoculars may reveal some
detail of the structural shape of the spacecraft.
On a regular
basis, the space shuttle must get rid of excess supply and waste
water by dumping them individually or simultaneously overboard through
water spray nozzles. Viewing the shuttle at these times through
binoculars or a telescope can reveal an even more spectacular view
of the spacecraft and the ice crystals that form as the water is
sprayed overboard. Although you can sometime use a flight timeline
to find out when scheduled dumps occur, your best bet is to monitor
NASA TV. Then, check the
sightings list to see if a sighting opportunity and a water dump
overlap.
Shuttle/station
docking missions provide an exciting opportunity to see a double
pass. On the day or two immediately before docking and after undocking,
the shuttle and station will appear to be chasing each other across
the night sky. They will follow the same flight path varying by
only a few minutes. If the distance is close enough, they will actually
appear in the sky at the same time!
This information
provided by Glenn Research Center.
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