STS-91 / Mir 4h after undocking

Jason Hatton (jason.hatton@etss.u-strasbg.fr)
Tue, 09 Jun 1998 08:58:56 +0000

Hi All,
		Last night I had a good pass of Discovery & Mir at 20:44UT (8-May-98),
only 4.5 hours after undock & 3h after the post seperation burn. The
skies were pretty cloudy at sunset, but then 5 minutes before the
predicted pass time a hole appeared in the cloud cover. I spotted STS-91
as it emerged from behind a cloud, followed by Mir perhaps a couple of
degree's behind. The Shuttle was bright white, at least mag -2, Mir
slightly fainter & distinctly yellowish. It was one of the nicest sights
I've seen. Hopefully, I've got a permanent record on film too - I shot a
30" exposure on slide film just before the pair disappeared behind a
cloud. 

	This is almost certainly the last chance we will have to see a Shuttle
& Mir operating together. Yes it's the end of an era, but also a new
beginning as we prepare to build the ISS

Best wishes & clear skies,


Jason    
-- 
Jason P Hatton
INSERM U311
ETS Strasbourg
67065 Strasbourg Cedex
France

48.538N / 7.731E / 143m