Third leg.
I thought it was a short arm…
make sure to BURN the seat.
I have a very deep appreciation for space flight… I wouldn’t mind going up some day. I saw a view of the shuttle going up at great distance, but my desire really went through the roof when I saw the Soyuz go up from 3000 feet away in Baikonur.
multi-tasked typed it wrong
Well time for another launch…out to the driveway I go!!!
Wow! Best launch I have had the good fortune to see from my house (not up close). Perfect time of day. Bright flames against the darkening blue sky, the plume glowing orange and purple from the setting sun. Kids excited, neighbors all in the street watching this great ship rise up. Fills me with pride every time. Puts a lump in my throat. God bless America!!! 8)
You’re very fortunate, enjoy it.
Y’all may have seen these before, but just in case:
NASA J-Track satellite tracker includes links to
J-Track map display of many different satellites
Human Space Flight orbit tracking (Shuttle and ISS)
J-Track 3D globe with swarm of dots (very cool)
J-Pass for unmanned satellites to find out when a given satellite will fly over your house.
Human Space Flight sightings to find out when Shuttle or ISS will fly over your house.
http://heavens-above.com/ A non-NASA site offering similar information in a little different way.
The absolute coolest Shuttle sighting I ever saw was just after it separated from ISS, so they were flying across the sky together, about a fist-width apart. If they pass over your house tonight (17 March) or tomorrow AM (18 March), I think they’ll be getting close enough that you can see them together like that. After that they’ll be docked for a week or two – still visible but only one (very bright) dot. You want to catch them in the dark, within a couple hours of sunset/sunrise. (Twilight often works, but it’s dicey.) It’s a matter of luck whether everything lines up for you: your location, time of flyover, time of day, nearness to rendezvous. Check the websites above to know when to look; it usually occurs within a minute of the predicted time, so you can get the whole family together and not be disappointed.
I saw the ISS last night (3/16) but didn’t see the Shuttle. I never realized how bright it was. It truly is the brightest object in the night time sky besides the moon.
Try this, it’s pretty cool: n2yo.com/?s=34541|25544
Tracks live, with google maps.
With the future addition of a new module, the ISS is expected to shine at a magnitude of about -3. (Space.com).
The planet Venus can get as bright as -4.7.
An Iridium Flare can reach a magnitude of -9.5!
(Note: the lower the value of magnitude, the brighter the object)