The Night Sky..
I have just returned from the semi-darkness of the Sibley Center grounds where we went to watch one of those events in the night sky that is not all that spectacular unless you consider what you are seeing, then it becomes pretty amazing.
At 10:04 pm, both the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle were in view as they sped over West Texas. Not only in view but one [the shuttle] pretty much right behind the other [the space station]. Flying in tandem at around 18,000 mph they were only clearly visible for less than a minute. It is, I suppose, rather natural, but still sad that so much of the population has become so blase about the thought of two huge man made objects flying together at 18,000 mph in space.
In 1996, courtesy of my brother at NASA, I had the opportunity to be in the VIP seating area, three miles from the launch pad, for a night time space shuttle launch. I think truly the most amazing, spectacular and awe inspiring thing I've ever seen in my life. I try not to get too blase after that. Sometime soon I'll describe what it's like seeing an object the size of an office building go from zero to 6000 mph in one minute....
At 10:04 pm, both the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle were in view as they sped over West Texas. Not only in view but one [the shuttle] pretty much right behind the other [the space station]. Flying in tandem at around 18,000 mph they were only clearly visible for less than a minute. It is, I suppose, rather natural, but still sad that so much of the population has become so blase about the thought of two huge man made objects flying together at 18,000 mph in space.
In 1996, courtesy of my brother at NASA, I had the opportunity to be in the VIP seating area, three miles from the launch pad, for a night time space shuttle launch. I think truly the most amazing, spectacular and awe inspiring thing I've ever seen in my life. I try not to get too blase after that. Sometime soon I'll describe what it's like seeing an object the size of an office building go from zero to 6000 mph in one minute....
