se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
you can see the shuttle & ISS streak across the sky very shortly.
the info for raleigh is: time - 07:22 PM duration - 3 minutes max elevation - 42 deg approach - 11 above NW departure - 40 above ENE
should be a really good night to see it. if you're not in raleigh, go here to find out your info http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States
it lands tomorrow, but you'll still be able to see the ISS after it's gone. 3/8/2011 7:05:48 PM |
zorthage 1+1=5 17148 Posts user info edit post |
Woah....
I still want to see a shuttle take off, my window for seeing that is quite small 3/8/2011 7:13:19 PM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
yeah, you have 2 more chance then that's it. there's a launch in early april then the last is early june. i saw endeavor lift off a few years ago (that was my bday present). it's pretty awesome although i wanted to be soooooooooo much closer. i'd be in the thing if they'd let me. 3/8/2011 7:14:54 PM |
raiden All American 10504 Posts user info edit post |
April 19th is the last launch. I'm in the same boat as you, haven't ever seen one but want to.
I'm thinking about making a trip to FL to see the one in Apr. 3/8/2011 7:15:14 PM |
zorthage 1+1=5 17148 Posts user info edit post |
Bah wrong month
[Edited on March 8, 2011 at 7:16 PM. Reason : damnit ] 3/8/2011 7:16:12 PM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
endeavor launches april 19 atlantis launches june 28 <-- last one
schedule: http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html
[Edited on March 8, 2011 at 7:17 PM. Reason : ] 3/8/2011 7:16:22 PM |
jataylor All American 6652 Posts user info edit post |
seeing a launch is on my bucket list 3/8/2011 7:17:45 PM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
yayyyyyyyyyyy!! i waved 3/8/2011 7:27:09 PM |
Doss2k All American 18474 Posts user info edit post |
I mooned it... Let's not hope it was really a spy satellite 3/8/2011 7:28:03 PM |
raiden All American 10504 Posts user info edit post |
shit my bad, I missed the atlantis launch on the schedule. 3/8/2011 7:28:37 PM |
jataylor All American 6652 Posts user info edit post |
i saw two taking the same path, were aliens following them? 3/8/2011 7:28:40 PM |
EuroTitToss All American 4790 Posts user info edit post |
is this shit really bright? I think I might have seen it
[YES] yes it is
Quote : | "In many cases, the station is one of the brightest naked-eye objects in the sky, although it is visible only for periods ranging from two to five minutes." |
[Edited on March 8, 2011 at 7:30 PM. Reason : asdfasdfasdf]3/8/2011 7:29:47 PM |
AuH20 All American 1604 Posts user info edit post |
One time flying back to either MD or MA from Florida, I saw a space ship launch while in flight. That was pretty cool. 3/8/2011 7:30:24 PM |
ncsuapex SpaceForRent 37776 Posts user info edit post |
^^^ ISS
[Edited on March 8, 2011 at 7:31 PM. Reason : .] 3/8/2011 7:30:31 PM |
HockeyRoman All American 11811 Posts user info edit post |
Just saw it with the ISS trailing. Badass! 3/8/2011 7:30:46 PM |
TroopofEchos All American 12212 Posts user info edit post |
YAAYYYY!!!! 3/8/2011 7:31:46 PM |
zorthage 1+1=5 17148 Posts user info edit post |
Saw them both
I was surprised how bright they were, and how quickly they dimmed as they approached the eastern horizon.
There were people flying in those things 3/8/2011 7:37:40 PM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "One time flying back to either MD or MA from Florida, I saw a space ship launch while in flight. That was pretty cool." |
holy fuck i would pay a lot of money to see that 3/8/2011 7:38:11 PM |
zorthage 1+1=5 17148 Posts user info edit post |
^ Woah that would be kick ass. Just live I've always wanted to fly to see new years or july 4th fireworks from the air 3/8/2011 7:40:24 PM |
BDubLS1 All American 10406 Posts user info edit post |
ahhhhhh why didn't i see this earlier!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh well...tomorrow night will be cloudy 3/8/2011 7:53:35 PM |
OldBlueChair All American 5405 Posts user info edit post |
pissed I missed this
but I, too, will be making the trip to FL to see one of the remaining two launches. Thanks, Obama. 3/8/2011 8:06:17 PM |
Hey_McFly All American 1116 Posts user info edit post |
i lived in orlando in the 90's so we got to see shuttle launches from our driveway on the regular
we heard lots of sonic booms too 3/8/2011 8:12:00 PM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
those shuttles are oolllldddddd. it's past time they move onto a different design. not that they have the money to do it, but something safer would be a very good idea. 3/8/2011 8:14:10 PM |
egyeyes All American 6209 Posts user info edit post |
Dammit I missed this too.. someone should've bumped the thread! 3/8/2011 10:25:06 PM |
Kiwi All American 38546 Posts user info edit post |
I mean, I'm pretty sure that june one won't be the last one of our lifetime... 3/8/2011 10:33:49 PM |
zorthage 1+1=5 17148 Posts user info edit post |
They are retiring the space shuttle fleet... there will still be rockets going into space, but they won't have a space shuttle (at least the existing model) along for the ride. 3/8/2011 10:35:23 PM |
Kiwi All American 38546 Posts user info edit post |
Err, ok, excuse my ignorance, but does that mean humans won't be going into space anymore? I find that reaaaaaallllllllllllyyyyyyyyyy hard to believe.We need to find our new home! lol
no but really 3/8/2011 10:43:44 PM |
dweedle All American 77386 Posts user info edit post |
the apollo missions were via rockets
shuttle doesnt = humans lol 3/8/2011 10:44:26 PM |
Kiwi All American 38546 Posts user info edit post |
Ok that's cool then
Why cancel the shuttles? unsafe? i mean, what's the deal? 3/8/2011 10:46:15 PM |
wwwebsurfer All American 10217 Posts user info edit post |
I use a program called Orbitron to track these things. It's pretty freakin' awesome if you like catching ISS or HST. (actually, I just ran ISS and it's data is off of that from the NASA website. Will have to update on the problem.)
Via HSF: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=United_States®ion=North_Carolina&city=Fayetteville 3/8/2011 11:39:02 PM |
Smath74 All American 93278 Posts user info edit post |
kiwi did you seriously not know the shuttles were being retired? and that obama canceled their replacement? 3/9/2011 6:19:04 AM |
pack_bryan Suspended 5357 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "those shuttles are oolllldddddd." |
they've been completely retrofitted and redesigned multiple times. you probably think the F-15E was made in 1972 and is 'old' as well.3/9/2011 7:32:07 AM |
ncsuapex SpaceForRent 37776 Posts user info edit post |
It's about to fly over Australia. 3/9/2011 7:50:09 AM |
raiden All American 10504 Posts user info edit post |
^^ 3/9/2011 7:54:14 AM |
raiden All American 10504 Posts user info edit post |
Apparently Renee Chou thinks that the landing of the Discovery space shuttle marks the end of NASA's space mission. She just said that verbatim a few mins ago.
Good Job. 3/9/2011 8:02:37 AM |
Arab13 Art Vandelay 45166 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "the apollo missions were via rockets
shuttle doesnt = humans lol" |
the shuttle is a rocket ... we just reuse part of it
still the only way to get into orbit for anything ...3/9/2011 8:06:30 AM |
raiden All American 10504 Posts user info edit post |
negatron ghostrider. (or at least, incomplete ghostrider)
The Space Shuttle consists of the shuttle stack, which includes a dark orange-colored external tank (ET); two white, slender Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs); and the Orbiter Vehicle (OV), which contains the crew and payload.
The SRBs are reused, of course along with the OV.
[Edited on March 9, 2011 at 8:12 AM. Reason : does a fart smell in space? ] 3/9/2011 8:11:43 AM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "they've been completely retrofitted and redesigned multiple times. you probably think the F-15E was made in 1972 and is 'old' as well." |
i don't know everything about them, but i doubt they've been completely & totally rebuilt since the 80s, and everything i've heard about why they're retiring them is bc they're old. *i'm not any sort of nasa or shuttle expert. i just think they're neat. i did write a paper on the columbia disintegration for a technological catastrophes class, but it wasn't that scientific. i'm about halfway through my second book about nasa/space-related stuff. "riding rockets" by mike mullane. in the book, i'm right at the part with the return to space flight after challenger.
i have no clue what a f-15e so i have no opinion there.
Quote : | "Dammit I missed this too.. someone should've bumped the thread!" |
it was at the top. i made the thread only 17 minutes before it came by.
[Edited on March 9, 2011 at 8:25 AM. Reason : ]3/9/2011 8:20:56 AM |
Wraith All American 27247 Posts user info edit post |
Hey there folks, if I happen to be down at the cape for any of the next shuttle launches I'll let you guys know, I may be able to get you a lot closer to the launch pad than most people.
As your local NASA engineer I can answer questions about the space shuttle and the future of manned spaceflight. ONE of the reasons they are being retired is because they are old. They were originally designed and planned to only fly for about ~10 yrs or so... after 10 years the insides were made lighter and their lifespan was extended but they are still way past their prime. In response to what Kiwi said, they are not unsafe. Safety is in fact the number one concern of the shuttle design and maintenance crew... the shuttles have been have been retrofitted with quite a bit of modern technology so it's not like the space shuttle that just went up is the same as it was 20 years ago. At some point though, it's just necessary to have a new launch vehicle... you can only upgrade an existing vehicle so much.
In reference to Arab13's post, the space shuttle is NOT the only way to get into orbit. It is the only AMERICAN way for PEOPLE to get into orbit. The Russians currently use the Soyuz rockets/capsules to launch their cosmonauts and the Chinese have their own space program. The Soyuz family of rockets are actually the most reliable and frequently used launch vehicles in the world.
Anyone have any questions about space stuff? 3/9/2011 10:25:44 AM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
can you get them to move the april launch to a monday or friday? i want to go soooooo bad, esp if you could get me closer 3/9/2011 10:55:04 AM |
wwwebsurfer All American 10217 Posts user info edit post |
^^ if you can get me close I'll take off and fly down. We can put together a TWW trip. 2 condos in Clearwater available for housing and a possibly a condo in Tampa. All short drives over to the cape. 3/9/2011 10:59:43 AM |
Wraith All American 27247 Posts user info edit post |
Can't make any promises. I wouldn't be going down there for work, but my brother lives in Orlando so I may be going to hang out with him and his family for a bit. Unfortunately I won't know for a while so don't make any plans around me. 3/9/2011 11:03:22 AM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
okay so i have 3 days vacation left after i subtract out what i'm going to use for our trip to glacier national park in july. endeavor's launch is scheduled for 7:48pm, so i could potentially fly out that morning, then use the extra 2 days in case it gets delayed, then beg for the extra 4 hours i'd need to take friday off. what's this about condos (cost)?
i don't want to go to the last one bc everybody & their brother will be there. it was hell trying to get out the place after the launch i saw a few years ago. i can't imagine what it'd be like for the last one EVAR. i would LOVE to see it again, but closer so it looks bigger than a tiny ant in the distance.
^^google says tampa/clearwater are about 3 hours from KSC...
[Edited on March 9, 2011 at 11:37 AM. Reason : ] 3/9/2011 11:27:59 AM |
wwwebsurfer All American 10217 Posts user info edit post |
^family has two or three condos and a big timeshare. Condos house 4 comfortably, timeshare like 12 comfortably. If we're putting something together I need to get on it and see if I can get off. I'll call the uncle and see whats up. Getting them in the summer is usually cake though, it's the winter (they're from Michigan) that it's hard to get in.
The only cost is whatever the cleaning company charges and food. Last time cleaners was like $125. I can stay a week for like $250 down there.
[Edited on March 9, 2011 at 11:38 AM. Reason : it's an easy all-highway drive and the launch is practically at night...] 3/9/2011 11:37:36 AM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
that's awesome. i would definitely not mind a 3 hour or whatever drive if housing is that cheap
let me know what you can find out. i need to talk to Fumbler too. looks like it's $218 for a flight for 2 ppl. 3/9/2011 11:41:10 AM |
Smath74 All American 93278 Posts user info edit post |
i have never seen the shuttle launch in person and i doubt i ever will
I try to watch all of them online though.
I'm watching the discovery landing right now.
[Edited on March 9, 2011 at 11:44 AM. Reason : ] 3/9/2011 11:44:42 AM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
yay! back safe & sound
farewell discovery! 3/9/2011 12:00:10 PM |
ncsuapex SpaceForRent 37776 Posts user info edit post |
ISS tonight at 7:51pm 3/9/2011 1:06:29 PM |
se7entythree YOSHIYOSHI 17377 Posts user info edit post |
lies. tonight is not friday
[Edited on March 12, 2011 at 6:11 PM. Reason : ] 3/12/2011 6:09:14 PM |
zorthage 1+1=5 17148 Posts user info edit post |
They need to have this as a calendar feed 3/12/2011 6:43:12 PM |