Monday, March 7, 2011

Last Chance to See Discovery in Flight

According to Spaceweather.com
DOUBLE FLYBY ALERT: This morning, March 7th, space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station. This sets the stage for a spectacular series of double flyby sighting opportunities. The station and shuttle will be flying over parts of the United States and Europe tonight and tomorrow, appearing in the night sky as a closely-spaced pair of bright lights. This is also a last chance to see Discovery in flight, because the orbiter will be retired after landing in Florida on Wednesday, March 9th.

Check the Simple Satellite Tracker (http://spaceweather.com/flybys) or download our smartphone flybys app (http://simpleflybys.com) to find out when to look.
For the majority of my readers who aren't in the heart of the valley (i.e., Corvallis), do check to see if it will be visible from your location. The ISS is amazingly bright and well worth watching on its own. I've never been able to catch it and a shuttle together, and the chances to do so are becoming scant. For my fellow Corvallisites, we're having mostly overcast weather, but we've had a few sun breaks, so it's not impossible we'll get a chance to see too. The ISS and Discovery will pass almost directly overhead just before 7:00 this evening.

1 comment:

Shena said...

Farewell Discovery.