Combined ISS/Shuttle thread

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

In the Southern UK, there should be a good view of the ISS tonight, with the shuttle Endeavour chasing it along, to dock with it tomorrow. Last night's ISS transit was slightly spoiled by the cirrus that is still drifting around, but it was still plainly visible.

For those of us living just to the west of London, the ISS should appear, virtually out of the west, at 22:31 LOCAL and fly virtually right over the top. Endeavour should appear on the same track (of course) three minutes later. Cloud permitting, there should also be good views over the next few nights. Go on - it's the kid's holidays, let them stay up!

For other locations see: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov and look under 'Space Station' and then 'See the ISS in the Night Sky.'
:ok:

[BOAC]

GALHI - such a news-worthy 'view' that I am popping you into R&N :eek: until the nice warm fluffy seniors decide to chuck you back to non-ATI (hopefully after 22:31A). Thank you for the heads-up. Mine will be:)

[ChristiaanJ]

BOAC,
This fluffy senior in the South of France went out in the cold (not really, 20°+...) to see them pass, quite low on the northern horizon from here.

I've seen Sputnik 1.

And the magic has still not quite faded for the boy in me, even if manned spaceflight has become more and more a pointless exercise.

[treadigraph]

Christiaan J I hope you are talking about last night's pass, cos I'm hoping that G-ALHI and BOAC's excellent Heads Up gives me almost half an hour to finish me wild boar pie (no really) do some PPRuNeing and get outside the back door for a gander upwards.

Cheers folks, and hope we all see them.

[BOAC]

AAh! Cinghiale - lovely. Not satisfied with Cinghiale now you are eating Goose:)

[ChristiaanJ]

tredigraph,
There are two passes tonight.
If you're reading this now, drop everything, including the wild board pie, and go and look.
We'll talk later.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

The 22:31 pass will be the best, because it's virtually a straight over the top job. The 00:06 one is going to be less than one minute and only 13 degrees elevation.

It's looking hopeful, I can see Arcturus in the western sky; they will be brighter and to the right of that.

[treadigraph]

Wild Boar - Sanglier (quois?) digesting, I'm rushing outside, but I have light pollution and severe tree curtailment to the west so hope I bloody well see them. Were it not for a few west country cidres earlier on this evening I'd hightail it on me bike up to the local common.. No geese there though...

Ooops, the witching hour beckons...

[Paracab]

Just seen 'both parts' here in Lincs - I'm amazed at just how bright the ISS actually is. I know now that I saw it recently - did wonder what I was looking at!

[jote]

wow , jealous as ****
good luck guys and gals

[A4]

Absolutely cracking view - just as advertised with the Shuttle playing catch up about 3 minutes later.

Thanks for the "heads up".

A4

[treadigraph]

Fantastic heads up guys, saw both exactly as advertised! Sincerely hope you did too!

[Rainboe]

Excellent! Bang overhead Portsmouth, and the Space Station must have been two or three times as bright as Jupiter at its brightest! Lovely sight- had the neighbours out as well.

[Fokkerwokker]

Bang over my bonce in Bucks!

Many ta's.

Brilliant!

<Thinks> Wonder if they Pproon up there?

FW

[BOAC]

GAHLI - welcome back home (Well, next door).:) Thanks again for that - memorable. Also 4 other orbiters and I suspect 3 early Perseids (and a stiff neck). Well, what else do you expect.......................

Fokker - you never know:ok:

[exmanman]

Thank you so much George, didn't expect to see anything here in Manchester, but saw both perfectly, as well as a couple of meteors (rock variety).

Truly memorable.

[treadigraph]

Wonder if they Pproon up there?


They damn well ought to, one gets the very best info here. G-ALHI, we owe you a few beers. Or cider if you prefer...

[Panops]

Many thanks for the information. I saw them too, just as I walked out my front door. Nice and clear in Essex with a little bit of cloud. The Space Shuttle appeared a little further north than the Space Station. I must have appeared a little mad standing in the street looking up at them. I was really surprised to see them over all the street lights in the area. Many thanks again.

[BOAC]

According to Nasa the next England viewing will be 2119 tomorrow after the docking (0136 EDT), so it should be even brighter.

GAHLI - now look what you have done!

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

Very good view as they passed through the overhead. You could see the ISS's solar panels with the naked eye (which is why it's so bright).

Tomorrow night they'll be joined up; there's a long duration one at 21:18 - same part of sky - and a shorter one at 22:53.

Glad you all saw it! :)

[woodpecker]

Neil Armstrong explains in his book that "catching up" another vehicle is not that easy.

Although the two vehicles may be in the same orbit just increasing the "catchers" speed to close on the other vehicle obviously results in an orbit increased in size (due to the increase in speed). The first attempts always ended up with the "catcher" going high relative to the "target vehicle".

Great sight over South Oxfordshire this evening, will drag my dinner guests outside on Saturday night for a repeat performance.

[skiesfull]

Gotcha! Thakfully the eyes are still good enough to see the panels as well without bins!

[treadigraph]

My eyes aren't, but tomorrow my bins will be at home, not uselessly locked in a drawer at work... doh!

[G-BPED]

Great views from Chineham tonight. Very little light pollution made for a clear sighting of the ISS and then the Shuttle following on behind.

[ChristiaanJ]

Great sight, isn't it!
Here in southern France it was just low on the horizon, but still worth viewing.
For those who haven't got the link already at hand:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/index.html
then click on "Sighting Opportunities", select your country, and the nearest town.

[DILLIGAFF]

Great view of both from LHR went outside TBC and saw them go overhead. Will be at home tomorrow night so will be out with me bins.
D

[False Capture]

Thanks woodpecker, I was wondering why the Shuttle was in an orbit which is 10 miles lower than the ISS orbit (according to the NASA web-site). It all makes sense when you think about it.

[ORAC]

Probably no substantial damage, but it means all the work they did to eliminate foam loss will have to be revisited, with only knows what effect on future launch schedules...

"......As Endeavour climbed to orbit, tracking cameras appeared to capture nine pieces of debris darting toward the shuttle.

Three with the highest prospect of having struck the shuttle are under scrutiny, though each appeared too small to pose a hazard, said NASA's John Shannon, who chairs the mission management team.

One, which appears to have originated from insulation around a shuttle fuel line, seemed to hit near the underside of the tail section. Also, a spray of ice or foam insulation, as well as a second foam fragment, appear to have struck the right wing.

Questions about the fragments could be cleared up today. As Endeavour nears the space station, commander Scott Kelly will steer the ship through a slow back flip. The maneuver will enable cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov aboard the station to photograph the shuttle's underside heat shielding......"

[brockenspectre]

I am so thrilled that for the first time since the late Dr Syn posted about space on proon that we have a thread outside JB!

For those who are wanting to follow this, in addition to the NASA Skywatch (http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html)site may I also commend the European Space Agency (http://esa.heavens-above.com/esa/iss_step1.asp?nored=1) one where you can at any time track the location and "spot-ability" of the ISS from where you live :ok:

Also, you may be interested in following the live link up of Endeavour with the ISS on NASA TV (http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html?skipIntro=1) on the web :ok:

[PPRuNe Pop]

"brocky." Chas would have loved it. We used to meet up for a meal at a Box Hill restaurant just so that we could go outside with very little light pollution to watch it. He always had it spot on for time.

Madame Syn will be watching on Sunday with us.

[rampman]

Thanx for the head up what a great view here in manchester of the ISS and Shuttle they went straight over head first time i have seen the ISS but even better with the shuttle following you could just make out the delta shape with binos

:ok: you made me a happy man
rampman

[treadigraph]

With time to spare tonight, I am currently watching NASA TV as the crews prepare to open the hatches between the ISS and the Shuttle. They are off NZ and yet in just 45 minutes they will be coasting overhead dear old Blighty 200 odd miles up - wonderful...

I'm going to head up to the common in a few minutes - the view from there should be darker and unobstructed. Hope I don't get arrested...

[Wycombe]

According to the plots on the ESA site, it's going to pass almost directly overhead us here in W Berks at 2121, sky looks CAVOK :ok:

Edit at 2123 BST: just saw it, clear as a bell - a very bright moving star, almost directly overhead.

[BOAC]

The wonders of technology! On screen, the position in orbit. Playing the 'live' on-board video, listening to Houston/Shuttle audio and there she goes overhead. Amazing.

[oncemorealoft]

Well here just south of Bedfordshire it appeared (as advertised - of course) in the deepening dusk just before 21.20, bright and sure footed.

Tried to interest my wife in its passing who came and looked without awe.
A friend - a headmaster at a local school with whom I'd shared the info about the shuttle/IS transit - phoned me to share excitement just after it flew over head.

As far as he and I were concerned we had witnessed something remarkable. But to most it was just another light in a busy sky.
If, like me, you had watched the Apollo launches, the sight of a reusable space vehicle docked with a permanently staffed space station was progress. Thanks to the internet, I could easily share a tiny bit of the adventure.

We, as a species, have to explore. There will always be seemingly more pressing challenges at home that cannot be ignored; but that primeval need which we have to go just a little bit further, I believe, will ultimately be what saves us!

God speed all aloft tonight and every night

[ChristiaanJ]

A friend - a headmaster at a local school who I'd shared the info about the shuttle/IS transit with - phoned me to share excitement just after it flew over head.Does he know, that one of the astronauts on board is a 55-year old schoolteacher, who was the "standby" for she who died in the Challenger distaster? Who then succeeded in joining the astronaut corps, and is now up there? She's got a job to do (mostly working with the robot arm), but she will be "teaching a few lessons from space", also.

[oncemorealoft]

ChristiaanJ: Thanks for that. He may not know that but he's the sort of teacher who, once he does, may well make the most of that for the benefit of his primary age students.

[Thridle Opdes]

Just saw it here in Sevenoaks, it disappeared as it got overhead though.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

We've just watched the 22:53 pass ... and the bonus meteorite! The rapid fadeout overhead, as the ISS flew into the earth's shadow, exactly as predicted. It's truly 'rocket science' isn't it.

Fingers crossed that 'treadders' makes it back from the common, or we'll all be clubbing together to bail him out of whatever 'nick' he's been carted to for 'loitering with intent!' :}

[treadigraph]

Back from the common, unarrested, an object of some curiosity for late evening dog walkers and target practice by several pipistrelles...

Great view, though I was surprised not to see it earlier - was about 60deg above the horizon but once spotted had it in sight for several minutes. A friend phoned me from a nearby park with his two very excited small children, they are now very interested in all things space. However, stopped at my mum's for a cuppa on the way back home - she seemed unimpressed!

Have to say I watched it through the bins (20x50) but couldn't distinguish much more than a bright light. Maybe you need to be away from all light-pollution to get a really good view?

Couldn't see the second pass walking back just now, the street lights are just too darn much.

Edit: just seen G-ALHI's post, yes, I planned to give them your nom-de-PPRuNe for bail purposes if I'd had me collar felt...!

Cheers all,

Treadders

[throw a dyce]

Just saw the 2253 pass from Aberdeenshire.No light pollution but a bit of cloud.Should get a better view tomorrow at 21.40 as it's more overhead.Fantastic to watch though.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

Well, as one who hails from that part of Scotland, I have to say that regrettably, looking at the weather for up there: "Ye winna even see Benachie the nicht, chiel!"

Meanwhile, here in East Berkshire, it's a glorious evening. Most of the nightly 'Afrika Korps' have flown over on their Midhurst Departures, with all that frightful "Khartoum, Khartoum" stuff on the HF ahead of them, and the man with his head in a bucket of custard in Lahore answering! :bored:

'Treadders' will be devastated to learn that our resident pipistrelle has failed to prevent a 'no see-um' from scoring a direct hit behind my left ear. However, I am staving off the pain with a glass or two of Gigondas 2003.

Ah well, heads up for what might the last decent night's viewing.

[PPRuNe Pop]

It was due over my house at 2141 and that is the time it arrived. It fair cracks along doan it!

Must get my grandson on to it to-morrow.

[treadigraph]

Just getting of a train at East Croydon at 2141 tonight, and high-tailing it round to Platform 5 to get the 2143 back to the "famous place, squire". So missed it - darn!

May well be out looking heavenwards tomorrow night, or pre-dawn Monday morning to watch the Perseids - they are due to be at their most active then, 100 per hour apparently.

Hope the medicine is serving its purpose, G-ALHI, if not I've no doubt you are enjoying the taste regardless! You must be the first stealth Argonaut...

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

There is of course, the 23:16 pass, but it'll be a two-minute 'fader' due to the sun being further round the back side from us.

... and still the Afrika Korps fly the Midhurst Departure! :bored:

[PPRuNeUser0162]

Watched the 2141 pass from Central London (well Highbury - more or less Central London) - very clear and bright, and thought I could make out a slightly less bright shape attached to the main ISS - although it might have been a smuge on my glasses...

I've seen satellites and meteors before, but never the ISS/shuttle - it really sent a shiver down my spine to see that we're actually out there. Thanks to the OP for the heads up.

And I agree with the other comments, it really does shift!

[brockenspectre]

it really does shift


Well one orbit in 90mins .. at least that is what ISS/Endeavour did after docking and before opening the hatches so, yeps, deffo shifting.

What I love to see are the pics from ISS of earth .. have yet to see anything resembling Europe/UK but just love the cloud formations!

Like others my imagination was captured by space both by the moon landing but also by the Apollo/Soyuz linkup - the latter at a time when I saw this cooperation as signifying the world would be a better and more unified place when I grew up. Sadly, in most arenas this is not the case, but at least in the field of space exploration there really does appear to be a high degree of cooperation.

I was lucky enough to work as a temp (briefly) before joining the RAF at Rockwell's London office and as a goodbye gift for doing a grand job (allegedly!) of keeping journos' informed of the Space Shuttle's development I was given a set of original shoulder patches!! Still look good all these years on :ok:

PPRuNePOP - raise a glass to Chas for me please :ok: It will be a pleasure!

[DXman]

Guys now the next step is to talk to ISS... How?! Get an amateur radio operator around you with a VHF / UHF transceiver...
Back in 1997, I made a contact on VHF on the Amateur Radio 2 meter band (144 to 146MHz) with MIR...
More info on www.amsat.org

:ok:

[Beavis and Butthead]

Fab view on Sunday night, combined with the meteor storm. Thanks to those that have contributed to this thread, as without it I would never have known the Shuttle and ISS were passing right over home. :D A memorable sight.

[ATCO17]

Just watched them pass over tonight, despite some wispy cloud! Saw what I think was a rocket body (launched in 1980) pass over a few nights ago too. Very impressive! :ok: