Tuesday, July 04, 2006

ISS and STS-121: Visible from North America

About 5 minutes after the local fireworks show concluded this evening, we watched STS-121 (Space Shuttle Discovery) make a flyover. It is currently racing to catch up with ISS, which passed over almost an hour beforehand.

At least in my neck of the woods, Discovery and ISS will both be visible in the evening sky over the next few days. Check out Heavens Above for your local times and flight paths. Be aware that the orbit for STS-121 will change as the shuttle makes maneuvers to intercept the space station, so any passes listed today can and will change as new orbital data is published. It's best to check the site in the early evening before dusk in order to get the most accurate flyover estimations.

Maybe you'll get lucky and see both satellites fly in tandem just before they dock--it's quite a sight to see.