Space Station

[777fly]

A question:
When the International Space Station was launched ( 10 or 15 years ago?) I remember getting notice that it would pass over my home and that it would be highly visible. It was, and the ISS was incredibly bright.
What I cannot understand is why I have never seen the ISS from cruise altitude. The station orbits the earth around 15 times a day and is most visible at or around sunrise/sunset. I have been airborne for 12 hours at a time, almost always including a sunrise/sunset, routing variously 50N to 50s over a 10 year period. How can it be that I have never seen the ISS from the flight deck? (I wasn't asleep....)
Have you seen it pass over you in flight......?

[Wojtus]

Flight deck window shows only narrow part of the sky - and you mostly look horizontally. You will need to look upwards to get the ISS at its brightest.

Additionaly, ISS orbit is low and possible spotting time (darkness on ground, ISS sunlit) is short - effectively one or two passes on evening and another 1 or 2 on dawn. Winters gives slightly better chance.

Nevertheless, spotting ISS from flight deck should be possible. Check ISS ground track before flight or use some portable software which shows the ephemeris live.

[Cartman's Twin]

Morning Folks

Not a driver, and sadly they've yet to include the ISS on our radars at London but I'd like to point you in the direction of:

Heavens-Above Home Page (http://www.heavens-above.com)

For when yu're sat in your garden in the summer you can plug in your precise location and it'll tell you precisely when the ISS will be coming into view, from where, in which direction and how bright it will appear. Once people are drunk at your BBQ and you've miraculously predicted the 'first coming' they'll all spend the rest of the evening laying back on your recliners staring skyward. OK I exaggerate but it's quite an interesting site for those of a mildly sad disposition!

You can also see the path being mapped by the ISS so maybe you could see where it's likely to be relative to your flightpath (or though be warned if I'm wrking you may be a few miles either side of your predicted trajectory!)

It'll also show the visible passes of hundreds of satellites and also the elusive Iridium flares. I've not caught sight of one yet, but at least I know where I can find out they should be....

Anyways, have a browse

CT

[gchangflyer]

I've seen the ISS from cruise alt. Its pretty bright but only visible for perhaps 60 seconds before growing very dim and fading out totally. There was also a comet a few years ago (I think in 2007?) that passed over the southern hemisphere... saw it just after sunset over the Indian Ocean:ok: