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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

External Tank Foam Hits Shuttle
 

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......"

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 site may I also commend the European Space Agency 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 on the web :ok:

"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.

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

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...

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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!' :}

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