Well I realize now that any observational report will be useful, normal or abnormal, so it is good that I sent mine out. Hope they found it okay that I sent a text report to columbiaimages@nasa.gov. In hindsight, it is a shame that I did not take photographs for any evidence. Harald >Hello, > >I realize my visual report may not be very helpful in your investigation, >but I just wanted to be sure to send it in anyway. > >I went outside in Socorro, NM around 6:57 MDT feb. 1 to watch the shuttle >reentry. I did not see any indication of something unusual along the >course of its track. Shuttle was a spot of light that glowed steadily >(pink hue). There was no contrail, and absolutely no variations in >brightness that I could see (except the very gradual decrease in >brightness as it went E due to the lighter sky background). > >A few seconds later I went indoors to get 8x30 binoculars. With this I >saw, very low-contrast, a very short brownish tail (estimate less than >.25 degree) directly behind the shuttle, which I thought being ionization >glow of the atmosphere coloring brown with the dark blue sky >background. It did not look like white smoke or condensation. I saw this >in binoculars when the shuttle was due N of me and approx 35 degrees >elevation (did not measure, but my recollection). > >I continued watching the shuttle (without binoculars) until I lost it in >the twilight approx 6:58-6:59 MDT in ENE direction at about 25 degrees >elevation. Again, I did not observe any variations in brightness or >separate pieces along any part of the pass. The brightness was comparable >to Venus, around mag. -5, when it was due N of me. Sky was mostly clear >with thin cirrus. I waited 5 minutes but heard no sonic boom or rumbling. > >Observation location was Socorro, New Mexico >34. 03' 09.9" N / 106. 54' 02.1" W / 4700 ft > >I wish you all the best in the investigation. > >Harald Edens > >edens@nmt.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Feb 02 2003 - 01:33:40 EST