possible daylight sighting of shuttle THIS MORNING

This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 9 months ago by Adrian.

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April 19, 2010 at 12:10 pm #40982
John A. Wilke
Participant
If the shuttle lands on orbit 223, it will go right over us a bit after 8 AM. From http://www.space.com/nightsky/space-shuttle-landing-skywatching-100418.html

Should Discovery be waved off on this first attempt, a second attempt will be made on orbit 223. On this track, the shuttle would reach the Washington coast south of the Seattle-Tacoma area shortly after 7:00 a.m. PDT.

From Seattle, viewers should look 44-degrees above the southwest horizon at 7:00:44 a.m. PDT. Discovery will then pass over Southwest Wyoming, reaching an altitude of 48-degrees up in the north-northeast at 8:03:48 a.m. MDT as seen from Rock Springs. It will then pass to the north of Denver, Colorado at 8:04:49 a.m. MDT, at an altitude of 45-degrees and four minutes later it will be over Arkansas, making a flyover almost directly above Little Rock at 9:08:40 a.m. CDT, 87-degrees above the western horizon

even if cloudy, the sonic boom (heard about 90 seconds later) will be a dandy.
April 19, 2010 at 12:28 pm #52543
Adrian
Participant
8:30 Eastern (6:30 Mountain…Right now!)
April 19, 2010 at 1:19 pm #52544
John A. Wilke
Participant
8:30 Eastern (6:30 Mountain…Right now!)

The first landing opportunity (orbit 122?) was ~6:30am mountain time (and it would have been far north of here – not visible from our vantage point), but they could not land on that orbit. Landing on the next orbit WOULD have put it right over us just after 8am – but now they postponed landing until tomorrow. Not sure what the flight profile will be tomorrow?

I saw the 2007 approach – the shuttle was visible at high noon, just over Kansas City. Today would have been a treat – sun behind us and right overhead. RATS!!!!!!!!!!! Rats, rats, rats. This would have been a treat.

Tomorrow?
April 19, 2010 at 6:59 pm #52545
Bruce R. Schaefer
even if cloudy, the sonic boom (heard about 90 seconds later) will be a dandy.

I remember hearing the shuttle fly over when I lived in L.A. (heading to Edwards). It produced two sonic booms… Ba-BOOM! Always made me feel good to hear the shuttle coming in… and that it wasn’t an earthquake!
April 19, 2010 at 8:04 pm #52546
Adrian
Participant
Good call, John. I thought you were talking about the first landing opportunity. Hopefully we will get a similar overhead trajectory tomorrow, too.
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