From: ikluft [at] thunder.sbay.org (Ian Kluft)
To: chat [at] wvara.org (WVARA Chat List), sat-l [at] wvara.org (WVARA Satellite SIG)
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2003 17:27:57 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [SAT-L] Shuttle re-entry to be visible over Bay Area on Feb 1

Word has it that the current plans for the re-entry of the Space Shuttle
Columbia (currently in orbit) will be visible over the Bay Area in the
pre-dawn sky on Saturday, February 1 at 4:48AM.
   http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/launch-alert/2003-January/000070.html

Stay tuned.  Space shuttle re-entry plans can be changed by weather at the
landing site in Florida, which is too far in the future to forecast right now.
It isn't really guaranteed to take a course that'll be visible from here
until it fires its rockets to de-orbit over the Indian Ocean about an hour
before landing.

I've seen two re-entries from my home in San Jose in 1997.  They were both
near 5AM like this one is expected to be.  It's a spectacular sight and
very easy to find.  The shuttle orbiter crosses the sky from horizon to
horizon in a few minutes, as bright as a highway flare.  Minutes later a
very soft muffled sonic "whump" can be heard if you keep everything quiet.