My First Shuttle Sighting
finn@main.jetnet.ab.ca
Tue, 2 Jun 1998 23:10:27 -0600 (MDT)
I watched the shuttle launch on the NASA channel, i got the predicted elsets
from the NASA site:
Discovery Predicted Post OMS-2
STS-91
1 99991U 98153.98238620 .00067921 00000-0 14973-3 0 9038
2 99991 51.6601 118.7440 0076368 2.0103 358.1367 16.01399300 26
Discovery Predict Post NC1 burn
STS-91
1 99991U 98154.10748255 .00067921 00000-0 14973-3 0 9044
2 99991 51.6633 118.0803 0016024 280.6445 79.2919 15.83481726 42
Since Mir was leading the shuttle by about 12 minutes, i tried to spot it
first but it was just too light out, Arcturus was barely visble so i had my
doubts about seeing the shuttle. The only thing i saw was a flight of geese
coming just over the roof tops heading north. I waited until the predicted
time of the shuttle and went back outside but with my 10x50 binoculars.
I scanned the sky but nothing, just blue sky. The time came, still nothing,
minutes had passed and time was running out. I was just about to give up
when i gave it one last look, figuring where it would at that moment, i
looked low to the east south east and there, just above the tree tops,
barely 15 degrees above the horizon. A small moving dot, orange in colour
(probably due to some local forest fires) heading east, STS-91 Discovery.
The first time i have ever seen the shuttle from the ground. All other times
it's inclination was either too low or those times it did venture north it
came in the daylight or in the shadow. But tonight i saw it, only briefly
but i'm happy to finally see it. :)
Jari