From: ikluft [at] thunder.sbay.org (Ian Kluft) To: sat-l [at] wvara.org (WVARA Satellite SIG) Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 02:35:32 -0800 (PST) Subject: [SAT-L] [Launch Alert] Space Shuttle Reentry Visible (fwd) Here is more info on the upcoming STS-107 space shuttle re-entry expected to be visible a little before 6AM Saturday if the sky is clear. Note the time change - this is almost an hour later than the estimate I sent last week, due to changes in the shuttle's orbit. The ground track of the shuttle will go over the North Bay, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. At an altitude around 40 miles, it'll be visible for a couple hundred miles north and south of the ground track, with best views closer to the track. The weather forecast has been improving, with potential arrival of a low pressure trough having moved later into Saturday morning. However, the worst of the weather will focus on the North Bay and points northward. So the South Bay is looking like a good viewing location, near the shuttle but away from the weather. Keep an eye on the forecast. An astronomer, Rick Baldridge, has posted estimates of STS-107 re-entry visibility. http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/rickbaldridge/lst?.dir=/Astronomy+Stuff&.src=ph&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ Forwarded message: >From: "Brian Webb">To: "Launch Alert" >Subject: [Launch Alert] Space Shuttle Reentry Visible >Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 20:10:40 -0800 > > ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA > > Brian Webb, KD6NRP > Ventura County, California > E-mail: kd6nrp [at] earthlink.net > Web Site: http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp > > 2003 January 30 (Thursday) 20:00 PST >---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > SPACE SHUTTLE REENTRY VISIBLE > >The Space Shuttle Columbia is set to land this Saturday morning at the >Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Prior to landing, the spacecraft will >reenter the Earth's atmosphere and become an artificial meteor. > >During reentry, Columbia's groundtrack will pass north of San >Francisco at 05:53 PST and continue east. The Shuttle will then pass >immediately south of Lake Tahoe and cross southern Utah. > >Because the Shuttle will cross northern California before sunrise and >be at an extremely high altitude (above 220,000 feet), the reentry >should be visible over a wide area. The event will theoretically be >visible up to 575 miles north and south of the track. However, at this >distance, the vehicle will attain a maximum elevation of 0 degrees. > >In reality, the maximum distance the reentry will be visible is >probably about 431 miles north or south of the groundtrack. This means >observers across all of southern California have a chance to see it. > >If you live in southern California and would like to see the reentry, >my advice is to go to a very dark site with an unobstructed northern >horizon. Then scan the horizon from the northwest to the northeast from >5:48 to 5:58 a.m. > >For the best view, go north and try to get a close to the groundtrack >as possible. Rick Baldridge has a map of the track and a plot of the >spacecraft altitude versus distance-to-touchdown posted on the Web at: > > http://photos.yahoo.com/rickbaldridge > >Go to the area titled "Astronomy Stuff" and look for the files >"__hr_Shuttle Reentry over Bay Area" and "__hr_STS Reentry Dist vs >Altitude". > >Regardless of where you observe the event from, try to bring along >an observing partner. Locating a fleeting manmade meteor is a lot >easier if you have another set of eyes scanning the sky. > >Current Space Shuttle mission status is available at: > > http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts107/status.html > >If any of you end up seeing Saturday morning's reentry, please let me >know. > >_______________________________________________ > >To subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter, go to: > >http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/launch-alert > >Questions and comments regarding this newsletter and editorial contributions >should be directed to kd6nrp [at] earthlink.net >